The Darkness Within Old Version
by WaylaidWanderer
Summary: Abandoned, restarting, revising and rewriting in progress. Check my profile if you want to know the story summary. Feel free to review and tell me how I can improve - I'll take your advice into consideration while rewriting!
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Welcome to **The Darkness Within**. In this fanfiction, Albus Severus Potter is a special boy: he can communicate with the Elder Wand. However, not everything is as it seems... is there a darker truth beneath the apparent surface? During the course of Albus' fifth year, he will have to face off against Death Eaters, Scorpius Malfoy, and Maxien Zabini (the son of Blaise Zabini). And then there's this whisper... just a whisper, about a Horcrux...  
You'll find out more about the lives of Harry's and Ginny's children during their time at Hogwarts, Hermione's and Ron's children, and Draco's son as well.  
I'm adhering to canon as much as possible, but with the bare minimum of info given in the Epilogue of Book 7 it's a challenge - a fun one, but a challenge nonetheless.

Disclaimer time! This disclaimer holds for all chapters.

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

* * *

Prologue

_A red-gold glow burst suddenly across the enchanted sky above them as an edge of dazzling sun appeared over the sill of the nearest window. The light hit both of their faces at the same time, so that Voldemort's was suddenly a flaming blur. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he too yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco's wand:_

_ "Avada Kedavra!"_

_ "Expelliarmus!"_

_ The bang was like a cannon blast, and the golden flames that erupted between them, and the dead center of the circle they had been treading, marked the point where the spells collided. Harry saw Voldemort's green jet meet his own spell, saw the Elder Wand fly high, dark against the sunrise, spinning across the enchanted ceiling like the head of Nagini, spinning through the air toward the master it would not kill, who had come to take full possession of it at last. And Harry, with the unerring skill of the Seeker, caught the wand in his free hand as Voldemort fell backward, arms splayed, the slit pupils of the scarlet eyes rolling upward. Tom Riddle hit the floor with a mundane finality, his body feeble and shrunken, the white hands empty, the snakelike face vacant and unknowing. Voldemort was dead, killed by his own rebounding curse, and Harry stood with two wands in his hand, staring down at his enemy's shell._..

Darkness. Swirling, billowing, clouds of nothingness. No sense, no smell and not a trace of sight. There was only pain, immeasurable, intense, pain. Immersing, enveloping pain. Singularly and alone; the only thing that existed.

_No..._ came a hiss, echoing and trailing away softly, ghostlike, into the nothingness. _No... this cannot be..._

The source of the voice then felt a great pulling, as if it was being tugged by an inexorable force. It was powerless to resist, and was weak... too weak to fight against the force. It attempted to struggle, but gave up when it realized resistance was in vain.

The source of the voice then felt a great rushing, as if hurricanes and tornadoes were all around it, battering it; pulling it. Yet, it heard nothing.

It realized it was still moving, but now faster, as if the force that was moving it was reaching its destination, and wanted to speed up the process.

Then it felt as though it was being compressed; squeezed hundredfold unto itself, but it was a painless sensation. It was pulled into something, and if not for the absence of sound, there would have been a whoosh. It suddenly found itself trapped, unable to move.

Noise broke through all around it, indistinct but overpowering. Then it lost its consciousness, everything fading away; it itself felt as it was fading away.

One last hiss slipped out of it before it went.

_I will prevail..._

* * *

Another disclaimer: The italicized text in the beginning was taken directly from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. All words in that part belongs to JK Rowling, and not to me.

A/N: Please keep reading! It'll all be worth it in the end. I plan to make a novel-length fic out of this!


	2. Chapter 1: A Very Curious Wand

Chapter One – A Very Curious Wand

**Albus Severus Potter – Seven Years Old**

A young boy was crawling around a large bedroom, adorned with oak dressers and a large plush bed. Indistinguishable voices drifted up from downstairs. The boy found his way into a closet. He smiled happily, sensing something he wanted, although he didn't know what. His delicate small hands caressed the wall, and his hands filled with warmth. The wall Transfigured; shifting, folding inwards and parting to reveal a larger room within the closet.

Albus Severus Potter laughed with delight, clapping his hands together. He rose to his feet, and walked inside. The interior was bare, reminiscent of a dungeon, except the walls were covered with laminated wood. In the middle of the room, enclosed within a glass case on top of a small round table was a wand. Albus walked up towards it. He examined the wand inside, and touched the glass case, curious. At his touch, the glass case unfolded fluidly and flattened around the wand with a soft _smack_ onto the table.

Albus grinned happily and picked up the long thin wand. It felt smooth and polished to the touch, yet was rough at the same time. It gleamed with a pale yellow sheen.

A voice filled his head.

_Hello... Albus._

Albus stared with astonishment at the wand in his hands.

"You talked?" he said uncertainly.

_Yes, I talk. It's a pleasure to meet you._

"Wands aren't supposed to talk." Albus said. "Why can you talk?"

_I'm special, and more than just a wand._ it answered.

Albus considered this for a second, and then said, "Do you have a name?"

He could almost sense the wand hesitating before it answered. _No. I have no name._

"Oh, okay." Albus said, shrugging.

_How has your brother been treating you?_ the wand asked, sounding concerned.

"James?" Albus said. "I don't know... well sometimes he's really mean, I mean, he loves pulling jokes on me all the time. I hate it." He said the last three words bitterly.

_Then maybe you should do something about it._ the voice said smoothly.

"What do you mean?" Albus asked, confused.

_Have your little revenge on him. Pay him back, and pull your own joke on him._

Delight lit up in Albus' face. "Ha, I never thought of that!" he said happily. "Thank you! Oh, I'd better go, I don't want dad or mum to find out I've been playing in their bedroom; they'd go mad if they found out."

_Goodbye little one. Can you promise not to tell anybody about me?_

Albus replied, "Of course. You're like a new friend!"

**Albus Severus Potter – Year One**

Albus was nervous as he stood, waiting for the Hogwarts Express on platform nine and three-quarters. He barely noticed as his dad, Harry Potter, greeted his uncle, Ron Weasley and his family, or as his brother burst towards them, telling everybody that Teddy Lupin was snogging their Victoire. He was also worried that he would be put into Slytherin. He didn't think he was a bad person, but still, what if?

Then his father told him that the Sorting Hat would take his choice into account, and told Albus that it had done the same for him. Albus felt a sense of wonder, knowing something that nobody else did.

* * *

"Potter, Albus!" A sharp, clear voice rang out.

Albus walked through the throng of first years towards the Sorting Hat, and towards the Headmistress, Professor McGonagall. He sat onto the stool, feeling the eyes of the multitude of students upon him. Then Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat onto his head. It was too big for him, and went over his eyes. He heard a voice coming from inside the hat.

"Ah, yes; a clear choice. Sly-"

_No, no NO!_ Albus thought desperately. _Not Slytherin! Anything but Slytherin!_

"Not Slytherin, eh?" the Sorting Hat said. It paused for a mument. "You're another Potter. I knew your father, and you have the same qualities: determination, daring, bravery and a thirst to prove yourself. I said the same thing to him, and I'll say it again: you could go far in Slytherin."

_Not Slytherin, please_, Albus mentally pleaded.

"Very well, then you must be in GRYFFINDOR!" the last word was shouted out for all in the Great Hall to hear.

Cheering erupted from the Gryffindor table, and clapping was heard all around. He numbly took the Sorting Hat off of his head, handed it to Professor McGonagall and stumbled to a seat beside a thin boy.

"Gryffindor too, huh?" the boy grinned at him. "I told you that you would make it, Albus."

"Thanks Eli." Albus grinned weakly back. His head was filled with thoughts; why did the Sorting Hat want to put him in Slytherin?

* * *

As he unpacked later that night in his dormitory, he suddenly froze. The wand, the one he had found in his parent's closet, the wand he had been visiting almost every day, was lying on the bottom of his suitcase.

"What are you doing here?" Albus hissed at it.

_I wanted to explore._ the wand answered. _I've been trapped in that room everyday for sixteen years._

"Well, I can't take you with me! What if I lose you? My dad will find out and I'll be in huge trouble." Albus exclaimed in horror.

_Don't worry. I am content here._

"Good," Albus answered. "I can't afford to lose you, but I'll talk to you when I can."

The dormitory door opened, and Eli came inside.

"Who were you talking to?" He asked curiously.

"Nobody," Albus answered hastily, surreptitiously covering the wand with some clothes. "I was just reciting what I'm supposed to have in my suitcase."

"Oh, never mind then." Eli said.

* * *

Four years passed at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Every September, Albus would unpack his suitcase and find the wand there without fail. He grew used to it, and treated it as a friend, and sometimes a pet. His father never questioned as to its whereabouts. Perhaps he thought that it was safely hidden in the secret room through the closet, and never bothered to check.

Albus did exceptionally well in school. He was usually second in class, beside Rose. James teased him mercilessly about it, calling him a bookworm. Albus shrugged it off. James' teasings rarely bothered him anymore. He was content, for a while. Everything was normal and average. He never bothered with the Quidditch team, although he liked to watch the school matches.

Albus was unlike his father in many ways, even though their resemblance was striking. He preferred studying to sports, and would rather watch Quidditch from the comfort of the stands rather than be in the thick of the action. He was also smarter than his father, but true to the Gryffindor name, he could also be brash and too hasty at times.

He practiced spells every night, and visited Hagrid, the Gamekeeper occasionally. Hagrid took a liking to Albus at once, comparing and contrasting him to his father constantly.

Then Albus started having the dreams, and everything began to change.

* * *

A/N: Let me explain for the readers who haven't already figured it out. The words in italic are communicated using thought, while everything else is normal.

Also, Chapter One is more like a "Prologue: Continued" than anything else. From Chapter Two and thereon out is where everything really starts to happen.


	3. Chapter 2: In For a Dream

Chapter Two – In For a Dream

_Give in to me..._ the voices whispered, or perhaps it was only one voice. The echoes seemed to multiply everything. _I will make you happy. Don't you want to be happy?_

It was in the middle of the night; any light that existed was smothered by the thick shadows cast from the dark clouds and overhanging towers. The vast navy blue sky outlined the owls as they swooped through the air in search of food. The odd high pitch shriek and the baying of unidentifiable creatures were heard.

Albus Severus Potter moaned in his sleep. He was dressed in emerald pyjamas. His jet black hair was slick with sweat, and beads of it were abundant in round, pearly drops against his pale white skin.

_All you need to do... _the cold voice continued deliberately, _is let me in_.

Albus moaned and mumbled something incoherently. It might have been a "No..."

_LET ME IN! _The voice shrieked loudly inside his head now, sounding furious beyond words. _Give... IN!_

"No!" The last word was shouted as Albus sat bolt upright in his bed. He looked around wildly, his emerald green eyes flicking and examining the inside of the bed tapestries.

"Al?" came a voice from outside the comfort of his bed. "You okay?"

Albus perched on his knees and pulled the tapestries out of the way, wiping his forehead with his sleeve as he did so.

"Yeah, thanks Eli." He walked to the windowsill, picked up the pitcher of water and poured himself a glass. He looked at Eli, sitting up in his bed as well.

A skinny boy looked back at him, his light blue eyes concerned. He had long, dirty blond hair which was untidy after lying on the pillow. His lightly brown tanned skin was visible in the silvery moonlight and he had a sharp, angular face with high cheekbones which made him appear proud and regal. The boy was Eli, a pureblood whom Albus had met when they both traveled in the same boat on the way to Hogwarts, the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and had taken an immediate liking to each other, becoming best friends. They were both in their fifth year at Hogwarts.

Two other boys were in the room as well. They were both heavy sleepers and had no problem with Albus' nightmares, seeing as they didn't even know about it.

"How... bad was it this time?" Albus asked Eli with trepidation.

Eli hesitated, and then answered, "Not as bad as some of your other times. You were moaning a lot, and mumbling, but that's about it."

"Oh." Albus pondered for a moment, and then grinned shamefacedly at Eli. "Sorry for putting you through this. I know I've been keeping you up sometimes."

Eli grinned back, and said, "It's no problem; what are best mates for? Besides making me lose a lot of sleep, that is."

"Go back to sleep then," Albus retorted, but he was smiling. He felt a sense of gratitude that Eli had stuck with him so much.

"'Night then," said Eli. "It'll be morning in a couple hours."

"'Night." Albus replied. He heard Eli's blankets rustling as Albus got back into bed and pulled the tapestries closed. His head sank onto his pillow. He tried to go back to sleep, and soon his eyes closed.

The voice kept silent, but Albus' dreams were filled with formless, shifting shadows swirling around in his head.

* * *

When he woke again, he felt tired and lethargic. Albus got up and opened the tapestries. He looked at Eli's bed, enveloped by curtains. He was still asleep. Albus changed into his school robes, stuck his wand–a thin mahogany wand, eleven inches long, unicorn hair–into his pocket.

Albus heard Eli's blankets rustling and said, "Morning, Eli."

"You too," came his reply as Eli pulled his tapestries open. He swung his legs off onto the side of the bed. Eli ran his fingers through his hair to flatten and part it to the right. Albus did the same, although it was more of a habit than anything else as his hair refused to flatten.

"Put on your robes; I want to go to the Great Hall. I'm hungry already." Albus grinned at Eli.

"'S time to get up already?" He heard a voice yawn from the bed across the room from his.

"Yeah, what time is it anyways?" The tapestries on the bed across that one was pulled open, revealing a slightly chubby-faced boy with brown hair, hazel eyes and wearing maroon pyjamas. The boy was a muggle-born named Lawrence.

"Time for breakfast, that's what." Eli responded with a smirk.

The other bed's tapestries were pulled open, revealing a skinny brown-skinned boy with black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing bright yellow pyjamas. He was a half-blood on his mother's side. His name was Norvel.

Albus opened the dorm room doors and said to Eli, "I'll wait for you in the Common Room."

"Alright," Eli said. "Be down soon."

"See ya," Lawrence and Norvel chorused.

Albus shut the door behind him and descended the winding stairs down into the Common Room. As he stepped into the Common Room, he was greeted by the sight of Rose, bent over a book on one of the cushy armchairs by the fireplace, her long red hair covering her pale white and freckled face. She glanced up as Albus walked in, smiled at him and said, "Hey Albus."

"Good morning." Albus replied, and then frowned. "You're up and reading already?"

Rose looked disdainful for a second and said, "We have our OWLS this year, in case you've forgotten. And we've already been in school for a week!"

"You mean we've _only_ been in school for a week." Albus corrected her with a grin. "You should go down for breakfast. I don't want you to starve."

Albus had a little crush on his cousin. He completely adored Rose, and tried to act his best in front of her, showing off sometimes. He thought that Rose was completely stunning, with her flaming red hair, her cute small nose, and pale freckled skin. Albus admired Rose's intellect and energy.

Rose's expression softened and said to Albus, "Yeah, I will. I'll just finish this chapter and I'll still be in time for breakfast."

Albus smiled at Rose, looking into her chocolate-brown eyes, holding her gaze. Rose smiled back, and then her expression suddenly changed, looking strange. Her cheeks flushed red. She looked down and averted her eyes from Albus.

Albus was confused, wondering what he did wrong. Then he felt hurt, feeling as though he had been rejected, even though he hadn't really done anything, or tried anything. His ears and cheeks burning with embarrassment, he spotted Eli coming down, waved at him to follow then clambered out of the portrait hole quickly, and left for the Great Hall.


	4. Chapter 3: Defence Against the Dark Arts

This has definitely gotta be my favourite chapter so far. If you've stuck along for this long, thanks!

* * *

Chapter Three – Defence Against the Dark Arts

"So... Quidditch tryouts." Eli said casually as they walked to the Great Hall.

"No." Albus said firmly. "I told you, I'm not interested in Quidditch."

"But Quidditch practically runs in your family!" Eli exclaimed. "I mean, your brother James is already a Chaser, your uncles were Beaters and Keepers! Your mum played Chaser and Seeker _and_ she played for the Holyhead Harpies, didn't she? And on top of that your dad was the youngest Seeker in a century!

Albus chuckled. "You know my family too well, I think. But I seriously have no plans to tryout."

"Okaaaaay." Eli said, stretching the word, defeated. He wanted to try out for Chaser, but was too scared to unless Albus agreed to try out as well, which seemed unlikely. He looked ahead, and said quietly, "Well, look who it is."

Albus looked, and saw Scorpius Malfoy, a thin blond haired boy with a drawn face and pointed chin. He disliked Scorpius as much as his dad used to dislike Scorpius' father.

Scorpius saw them looking at him, and sneered. As they drew close, he said to them, "If it isn't Potter and Morzel."

"No, it's flobberworm and a manticore. Idiot." Albus replied with a smirk.

Scorpius' pale face flushed red with anger and embarrassment. "Whatever. See you around, _flobberworm_." He stalked past them, bumping into Albus roughly as he did.

"I wonder where he's going?" Eli asked a few moments later. "I mean, the Great Hall's in the opposite direction."

"Maybe he's not hungry; it doesn't matter." Albus responded indifferently.

Albus and Eli arrived at the Great Hall and walked through the massive double doors. As they walked over to the Gryffindor table, Albus spotted Lily–a small girl with brown eyes, pale white skin, freckles and fiery red hair like all the Weasleys–waving at him enthusiastically. He walked up to her and took a seat, with Eli following.

"Hi Al!" Lily said cheerily. "Breakfast started about a couple of minutes ago, you're late!"

"Hey Lily," Albus greeted his sister. "We just woke up a couple of minutes ago, actually."

"When did you get up?" Eli asked, smiling at Lily.

"About an hour ago, and then I got down here about half an hour ago. It was pretty empty, so I just talked with my friends." Lily responded, looking up at Eli, meeting his light blue eyes. She suddenly blushed as she did so, and looked down quickly. "Anyways you two are going to want to grab some toast and drink your pumpkin juice before the food is Vanished."

Albus and Eli complied, both taking a slice of toast, smearing butter thickly on it. They dug in, ravenous, chewing big bites and slurping down the pumpkin juice.

They finished breakfast an hour later, and said their goodbyes to Lily then headed up back to the Gryffindor Tower to retrieve their bags so that they could start their lessons for that day.

"Password?" The Fat Lady asked them as they approached her portrait.

"Bowtruckle roots." Eli replied. The portrait swung open to reveal a hole, the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Albus was disappointed to find that Rose wasn't there. She was most likely in the Great Hall. They climbed the winding staircase up to their dormitory and retrieved their bags.

"Defence Against the Dark Arts first, Divination, History of Magic and then Charms today." Eli informed Albus.

Albus snorted, "Divination is rubbish, especially with that old bat Trelawney teaching."

_Maybe you'll realize what you're destined for._ a voice filled his head.

Albus tensed, and then relaxed when he recognized the wand's voice.

_Divination isn't even real magic, and I doubt it works._ he thought back at it.

Albus found out some time ago that even when the wand was in his suitcase upstairs, he could still converse with it, no matter how far he was. He didn't question how that was possible, and he never thought he needed to.

The fifth year Gryffindors had Defence Against the Dark Arts with the fifth year Ravenclaws. Their teacher was Professor Bulwark, a tall, scarred man with warm grey eyes and dark hair which was cropped short. He was a wizard whom exuded authority and confidence. He was legendary in Hogwarts for his alleged exploits which included saving many people from dragons, giants, a couple trolls and other ferocious creatures.

Albus and Eli waited outside the classroom door, where many students were already gathered, adorned in scarves and gloves of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor colours, blue and bronze, and red and gold respectively. Albus' eyes lingered on a Ravenclaw girl with honey coloured brown hair and fair skin who was chatting animatedly with a group of friends.

"Hey you lot," Albus and Eli were greeted by Lawrence and Norvel, coming up behind them.

"We just finished breakfast. I see we're not late yet." said Lawrence in a questioning sort of tone.

"Nope, you're early. Professor Bulwark isn't here yet." Eli answered, and then smirked as he said, "I bet you two were stuffing your faces down at the Great Hall."

Lawrence and Norvel both grinned unashamedly.

"You know us; we love food." Norvel said.

"Good morning, students!" a voice boomed from behind them. The Ravenclaw and Gryffindor students turned around to see Professor Bulwark striding towards them. A few girls sighed audibly in adoration. "I hope I haven't kept you waiting; I was busy preparing for our next couple of lessons! Now let's enter!"

Professor Bulwark pointed his wand, which appeared to be a holly wand about nine inches long, at his door, and muttered a few strings of imperceptible words. The students heard a whoosh, and then a click as the door swung open.

"I have recently put protective charms and enchantments on my door." Professor Bulwark explained. "One can never be too careful when it comes to Defence Against the Dark Arts. I wouldn't want anything getting in... or out."

On this note the students all filed into the large classroom–walls adorned with paintings of majestic yet fierce creatures and multiple shelves stuffed full of books–and took their seats by the desks that lined the room.

"No, you won't need to be sitting today." Professor Bulwark announced. The students rose dutifully. "Today, we will be having a practical lesson."

He flicked his wand, causing the all the desks fly to both sides of the room, leaving a large empty space in the middle.

"We will be learning the Shield Charm today." Professor Bulwark continued. "This is a practical, defensive spell, and true to its name, will produce an invisible bubble of magic around you which will protect you from most major and minor charms, curses, jinxes and hexes."

A Ravenclaw girl with long black hair and big hazel eyes, standing beside the girl Albus saw earlier raised her hand.

"Yes?" Professor Bulwark asked.

"Sir, why are you teaching us the Shield Charm if this is Defence Against the Dark Arts?" the girl asked respectfully.

"Because this spell is a practical spell, designed to protect you from curses and any spells meant to cause you harm, except for the Unforgivable Curses. As Headmistress, Professor McGonagall feels that this spell would be more suitable for me to teach." Professor Bulwark answered. "Now, if there are no more questions, I would like to put you into partners."

Albus slumped beside Eli, and looked at him regretfully. They wouldn't be able to be partners, in that case. Eli shrugged apologetically.

"Clearwater, you go with Finnigan. Morzel, go with Thruston." Eli moved off to take his place beside Norvel, and then mouthed "Good luck" to Albus. He nodded. Professor Bulwark continued pairing people. "Potter, you're going with Selway." He motioned to the girl Albus was looking at earlier. Albus nodded and took his place beside the girl.

"Hi," he murmured, introducing himself. "My name's Albus."

The girl shot him a look with her greyish-blue eyes and said, "I'm Mirah. _You're_ Harry Potter's son."

"Yeah, I am." Albus acknowledged. "What of it?"

"Nothing, but everybody knows him; he's famous. You look just like him, from a picture I saw once in the Daily Prophet." Mirah said.

"I get that sometimes," Albus grinned. He was proud of his father's achievements: he had won the Triwizard Tournament, faced Voldemort more times than anybody and destroyed the darkest wizard of all time. The lightning scar on his forehead was also famous; some people drew it on the walls of Hogwarts, and others transfigured their forehead so that they could have a scar like his father's. He was also proud of inheriting his father's looks, including the messy black hair and emerald green eyes. He, alone of all his siblings inherited that last trait from his grandmother.

"So, without further ado," Professor Bulwark said, "Let's begin. The incantation for the Shield Charm is _Protego_. Repeat after me, class. _Protego!_"

"_Protego!_" The class echoed dutifully.

"Very good," said Professor Bulwark. "But as you all know, words aren't everything. You must have proper concentration, determination, and knowledge of the casting movement. Like this," he demonstrated, swishing his wand clockwise leading into a downward flick.

"Now I want one of you to cast the Disarming Charm, and the other partner will attempt to block it with the Shield Charm." Professor Bulwark continued. "Are you ready? Three, two, one, go!"

"_Expelliarmus!_" half the class, including Mirah chorused, followed by "_Protego!"_ by the second half a moment later.

The ineffectiveness of Albus' Shield Charm attempt was revealed as his wand was ripped out of his hand by the force of the Disarming Charm, making it fly across the room, spinning wildly, followed by a multitude of other wands. Indeed, it seemed as if nobody had managed to block the spell.

Mirah smirked at him, across from where he was standing. She flicked her wand, and said, "_Accio_!" Albus' wand flew into her hand.

"Here," she said, thrusting it into his hand. "Don't fail again so much next time."

"I'd like to see you do it." Albus retorted sharply. Mirah said nothing, only grinned at him.

"That's quite alright, class." Professor Bulwark said, unperturbed by the collective failure of his students. "In fact, I wasn't expecting any of you to succeed on your first try. However, I think that I should demonstrate the effects of a Shield Charm for you. Thruston, come here."

Norvel nervously moved towards the professor, his hands trembling in trepidation.

"Your name is Norvel, correct?" Professor Bulwark enquired.

Norvel nodded in affirmation.

"Okay, Norvel, I'd like you to cast a Stunning Spell at me, and I will be blocking it with the Shield Charm. Understood?" Professor Bulwark asked.

Norvel nodded again.

"Alright then," Professor Bulwark said, his voice suddenly loud, clapping his hands together once. He drew his wand. "Whenever you're ready, Norvel."

Norvel drew his own wand slowly, an oak wand about ten inches long, and hesitated a moment before directing it at the professor. He shouted, "_Stupefy!_"

A jet of red light erupted from the end of his wand as Professor Bulwark said, "_Protego!"_ It seemed for a breathtaking moment that nothing happened, that Professor Bulwark had failed and – then the jet of red light bounced off an invisible barrier and right back at Norvel. He gasped in shock and then it hit him; he was flung backwards through the air, about to hit the floor hard. Professor Bulwark flicked his wand at him, causing Norvel to gently fall to the ground. The class clapped in amazement.

"Thank you," Professor Bulwark said modestly. "Sorry about not warning you about what happened, but I felt it was best if everybody could see for themselves."

"That's alright, sir." Norvel said, picking himself up off the floor.

"Now, I'd like everybody to try again!" Professor Bulwark said. "This time, those who did the Disarming Charm will now cast the Shield Charm and vice versa. Ready?"

Albus directed his wand at Mirah, and grinned at her. "Oh yeah," he breathed.

"Three," Professor Bulwark began, "two, one, _go!_"

"_Expelliarmus!_" Albus shouted as half the class did the same.

"_Protego!_" yelled Mirah along with the other half.

Albus smirked at Mirah as the jet of white light shot towards her, expecting the wand to fly out of her hand, but the smile dropped off his face as the light rebounded and the wand flew out of _his_ hand instead.

"Ha!" exclaimed Mirah triumphantly; it looked as if she was the only one who was successful at performing the Shield Charm.

Albus retrieved his wand silently, his face alight with indignation.

"Very good, _very_ good!" Professor Bulwark exclaimed. "You picked it up pretty quick, Ms. Selway! Okay now, everybody let's try again!"

"Lucky shot," Albus said to Mirah.

"Face it," Mirah said grinning, "I've got more skill than you do."

"Ready?" Professor Bulwark asked again. "Three, two, one, _go!_"

Albus concentrated hard as Mirah cast the Disarming Charm, willing the spell to work, and yelled, "_Protego!_" as his wand swished through the air. He knew it had worked this time; his wand thrummed with power, and then Mirah's wand was whipped out of her hand.

"Great, marvellous!" Professor Bulwark exclaimed, smiling at Albus and Mirah. "Looks like you two are the only ones so far! Alright class, keep trying!"

The rest of the class was spent with the students trying again and again to successfully repel the Disarming Charm. A few students managed it after them, including Eli, and then more. By the end of the class, everybody had managed to cast the Shield Charm successfully at least once.

"Okay, that's a wrap," Professor Bulwark announced. "A great job, everybody. Now off you go, to your next class!"

Albus approached Mirah and asked, "Mind if I walk you to your next class?" He didn't really know why he offered, but he almost felt compelled to.

Mirah paused from retrieving her bag, looked at him and laughed with disdain. "Not a chance, you creeper!"

"Fine," Albus said, but he felt extremely embarrassed and hurt on the inside. He didn't know why he suddenly felt this way, when he wouldn't have normally cared. He walked over to Eli and said, "Let's go."

"You're in loooove." Eli teased with a smile on his face; he had seen what took place between Albus and Mirah. "You loooove Mirah."

"Oh, shut up."Albus responded automatically in denial, blushing, and shoving Eli in the chest jokingly. As they walked to Divination, however, the more Albus thought about it the more he realized that Eli was right. He didn't know why, but he was completely, undeniably and irrevocably in love with Mirah Selway. Perhaps it was her greyish-blue eyes–how they looked so alive and bright, or perhaps it was how much Mirah resembled Rose, not in looks, but in personality: a quick wit, intelligence, full of energy on top of her fair skin and beautiful features.

All Albus knew was, from that moment on, there was no looking back.

* * *

Now this is where things start to get interesting, I can promise you that.

As soon as Chapter 4 comes out you'll have some more answers revealed, and perhaps we'll see more of Mirah! (Whoah, who am I kidding, of course we will!)


	5. Chapter 4: Aptitude

Chapter Four – Aptitude

Albus didn't pay a lot of attention in class that day. His head was filled with thoughts of Mirah; her face, her beautiful greyish-blue eyes, and the way she looked as she smiled at him. He even thought about what Mirah had said to him as he offered to walk her to class. He still burned with embarrassment inside when he thought about what Mirah said.

"_Not a chance, you creeper!"_ echoed through his head, again and again.

His professors kept reprimanding him for not paying attention. Professor Flitwick had Transfigured his ears into a donkey's for not listening to his lecture on Cheering Charms.

"Potter!" Professor Flitwick had squeaked, tottering on the stack of books piled on his chair, as his classmates laughed at him. "You're here to learn, not to daydream!"

"Sorry sir," Albus replied, barely noticing as Professor Flitwick Transfigured his ears back to normal.

Eli shot him a knowing wink, and a grin.

Albus stuck his tongue out at Eli, and grinned back at him.

_Perhaps there's a good side to all this,_ the wand commented drily.

Albus Severus Potter slept well that night.

* * *

"Hey, wake up!" Albus woke up to the sound of Eli's voice. He groaned.

"I'm awake..." Albus mumbled, and then hopped out of bed, pulled open the bed tapestries, shaking his head to rid himself of his drowsiness, and then froze with a look of wonder.

"I..." he began, but Eli interrupted, already in his robes.

"You didn't have any nightmares, I know." he said, and then laughed. "Maybe you being in love with Mirah is a good thing... for me, that is."

Albus blushed, and then laughed along with Eli as well.

_Are you going to continue pursuing this relationship?_ the wand enquired.

_Continue?_ Albus asked in his head incredulously. _I haven't started! Besides, didn't you see how she treated me? She told me "Not a chance, you creeper!" when I asked her if I could walk her to class._

_ I was not aware._ the wand said smoothly. _But maybe it'd be good for you to start taking an interest in the opposite sex. All your life you've been with people of your own gender, with the exception of your cousin and sister._

_Maybe..._ Albus thought undecidedly._ I want to, but she'll reject me if I try._

_ Ah,_ the wand replied, _but you won't know _until_ you try._

"Hey Al!" Albus was jolted out of his reverie by Eli snapping his fingers in front of his face. "I'm talking to you here!"

"Sorry," Albus responded guiltily. "I... spaced out for a moment there."

"Whatever," Eli responded. "Anyways, as I was saying, we have double Tranfiguration and double Potions today, with the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins."

Albus groaned. "Double Transfigurations _and_ Potions! With the Slytherins! You know what, I'm just going to stay in bed." He flopped back onto his bed with a sigh.

"Oh come on," Eli scoffed. "It's not that bad; besides, you're like what, the top in almost every class?"

"Next to Rose, but yes." Albus responded. He sighed again, and then got up, running his fingers through his messy black hair and putting on his robes. "Let's go for breakfast."

As they left the Common Room Albus noticed that Rose wasn't there; perhaps she had already left for the Great Hall.

They entered the Great Hall a few minutes later, the large cavernous hall awash with noise. The ceiling reflected the weather outside; a bright sunny day with only a few puffy white clouds in the sky.

Albus spotted Lily sitting with Rose and his heart gave a small leap.

"There they are," he said to Eli. "Let's sit, shall we?"

"Yes, we shall." Eli grinned for no reason that Albus could identify.

"Hi girls," Albus greeted Rose and Lily as he and Eli sat down across the table from them.

"Hi Eli! Hey Al!" Lily responded. "You two are way late for breakfast!"

"Hi guys," Rose said, acknowledging them with a nod.

"Yeah, we actually got some sleep for once." Eli said with a wink at Lily.

"At least you didn't skip breakfast just to study," Albus said to Rose teasingly. "With that brain of yours I don't see why you'd need to."

"Because if I don't _use_ my brain, unlike some people," here Rose shot Albus a meaningful look, "I'd end up second in class every time instead of being first."

"Whatever," Albus shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't mind being second, as long as you're first and not somebody else!"

Rose tensed, and then relaxed and shot Albus a grin. "As long as you know your place, Al."

"So what classes do you guys have today? You have the same timetables right?"

"Yes, we do." Eli answered Lily.

"Double Transfiguration in the morning and then double Potions in the afternoon... with the Slytherins!" Albus groaned theatrically. "Somebody just put me out of my misery already."

"I'd be glad to," Rose shot at him, but smiled to show that she was joking.

Albus watched her carefully for a few seconds, expecting a repeat of the day before, where she suddenly had a strange expression on her face and refused to meet his eyes. It didn't happen, so he relaxed.

"Hey, what are we doing?!" Eli said, pretending to be surprised. "We haven't eaten anything yet! You two beautiful girls are too much of a distraction."

Albus laughed loudly and both Rose and Lily blushed. Lily let out a giggle, and said, "We don't want to be keeping you then! Eat up, boys, before you starve."

Eli and Albus both laughed again and complied, digging into the toast, scrambled eggs, bacon and orange and pumpkin juice hungrily.

"My," Rose commented drily, "look at those two wolfing everything down."

* * *

They set off for Transfiguration an hour later, waiting for their professor inside the classroom, along with Lawrence and Norvel, who caught up to them a while later. Some Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were inside, waiting, although they didn't have to wait long.

"Good morning, students." They were greeted by Professor McGonagall as she stepped inside the classroom, her grey hair done up into a tight bun and her witch's hat perfectly straight upon her head. "Now as you know, this year you will be taking your OWLs – Ordinary Wizarding Levels in place of your end of year examinations. However, you simply cannot pass them without serious application, practice and study. I see no reason for any of you to not achieve an OWL in my course unless you put in no effort at all." Albus saw her nostrils flare, as if she was remembering something.

"Today, we will start Vanishing Spells. They are easier than Conjuring spells which are among the NEWT level tests, but are still among the hardest magic you will be tested on in your OWL." She regarded her students with a stern face as many of them groaned audibly in response. "I will be handing out snails for you to practice on – and don't be squeamish!"

A few girls from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff looked positively green with the mention of the word "snails", and even worse when Professor McGonagall plopped them onto their desks.

"Oh, wicked!" Eli grinned as he poked the snail's eyestalk, which caused it to retract.

"Now, the proper incantation for the Vanishing Spell is '_Evanesco_'." Professor McGonagall informed the class. "This lesson, you will be attempting to Vanish your snails. When you are successful, you will be moved up to harder animals. Watch as I demonstrate."

Professor McGonagall directed her wand at Lawrence's book bag, flicked her wand and said, "_Evanesco!_" Lawrence's book bag disappeared, causing him to yelp in surprise.

"But Professor McGonagall!" Lawrence protested. "My textbooks!"

"Oh, hush," Professor McGonagall said, and with a wave of her wand made his book bag reappear again. "Now, begin."

The class began dutifully attempting to Vanish their snails.

"_Evanesco!_" Eli said, flicking his wand towards the snail. Nothing happened.

"_Evanesco_!" Albus tried as well, flicking his wand towards his snail. Nothing happened either. He frowned.

Lawrence and Norvel both tried, but they failed to produce an effect upon their snails as well.

"Well, this is exciting." Albus commented drily.

Eli, Lawrence and Norvel laughed.

"I'm going to try again, and this time I'm going to do it!" Albus exclaimed theatrically.

As he took aim at the snail with his wand again, Norvel whispered to Lawrence, "Watch him fail..."

Albus concentrated hard, willing the snail to disappear, flicked his wand at the snail and said, "_Evanesco!_" It Vanished immediately. Lawrence and Norvel gasped in awe, and Eli let out a loud whoop.

Professor McGonagall looked at the boys cheering and Albus with a proud expression on his face, and deduced that he had successfully Vanished his snail.

"Class, it looks like Albus has Vanished his snail! Very good! I expect all of you to put more effort into your attempts!" she announced to the room in general, and then lowered her voice, directed at Albus. "Well, you certainly seem to show more of an aptitude for Transfiguration than your father did. In fact, you're almost as smart as your aunt was!"

Albus grinned at Professor McGonagall. "Thanks, professor."

He could have sworn Professor McGonagall smiled back at him.

* * *

Wow, that was a small chapter. I originally meant to add more, but it would have at least doubled the length! So I'll promise you that I'll update tomorrow with Chapter Five.  
I was actually originally planning to have Chapter 4&5 as one chapter, but again, that would have been too long for me to finish and you wouldn't be reading this now.


	6. Chapter 5: Unexpected Surprises

Chapter Five – Unexpected Surprises

They set off for double Potions later that afternoon, followed by Lawrence and Norvel, proceeding down to the cold dungeons which were lit only by torches, hung on brackets attached to the wall. As they approached Professor Slughorn's classroom, they were met by the sight of the Slytherins and Gryffindors milling around the door aimlessly, generally avoiding each other. Albus saw Scorpius talking in hushed whispers with a pale skinned boy with long stringy brown hair.

The group went to a place opposite of where Scorpius was, not wishing to cause a confrontation, and waited for the teacher. Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long.

"Welcome, students!" they were greeted by a loud, booming voice preceded by a massive stomach, covered with clothes where the buttons were threatening to pop off. "Hope I haven't kept you waiting long."

Professor Slughorn came into view. He was a large, jovial man with straw colored blonde hair and a galleon sized bald spot on his head, and hands perpetually on his stomach. "I was a bit tied up with some work, but let's start. Come in, come in, everybody."

Professor Slughorn led the way into the classroom, which was paved with stone and as cold as the outside the room. Shelves lined the walls, full of books and potion ingredients, and large tables were spaced throughout the room, laden with cauldrons and dull silver instruments.

He waited patiently until all the students had chosen a seat and sat down at a table before beginning his lesson. "Now, OWLS," he said. A few Gryffindors groaned in response, along with Slytherins booing and jeering. Professor Slughorn smiled at them. "Now, now, don't fret! I remember when I did my OWLS – I nearly failed Potions, and scraped past with an 'Acceptable', but look where I am now!"

He continued, "Today we will be learning how to brew the Draught of Peace, which will most certainly come up in your OWLs. It is a potion which will calm anxiety and sooth the nerves. However, if you are too heavy-handed with your ingredients you can cause the drinker to enter a coma, and we wouldn't want that now, would we, boys?" A few Slytherin boys smirked.

"The instructions are already written on the blackboard–" Professor Slughorn pointed to the blackboard beside him, "and the ingredients are in the store cupboard." He flicked his wand at the cupboard, causing the doors to spring open. "You have two hours, boys and girls! Begin!"

Albus, Eli, Lawrence and Norvel stoked a fire under their cauldrons.

"Ah," Lawrence sighed dramatically while rubbing his hands over his fire, "delightful warmth."

Potions sped by in a monotonous haze, the students mechanically following the directions step by step. Near the end of the class, Professor Slughorn called out, "You should all have a light silver vapour rising from your cauldrons by now!"

Albus, Eli, Lawrence and Norvel looked at each other's cauldrons. Albus' cauldron was emitting a light grey vapour, not silver by any standards but close enough. Eli's potion was about the same standard, and Lawrence's potion emitted perhaps a bit darker cloud of grey steam, but Norvel's...

"Er, Nor," Lawrence began hesitantly, "why is your potion throwing off sparks? And... that looks like cement." He pointed at the potion inside the cauldron.

Norvel tried stirring his potion, but it was too thick and viscous. When he tried to pull the ladle out, it refused to budge. "Er..." he looked around sheepishly. "Some help here?"

They all shrugged apologetically.

"And time's... up!" Professor Slughorn announced genially. "Let's take a look at what everybody has."

He strode around the dungeon, examining his student's cauldrons, occasionally making noises of approval, or frowning as he came upon some particularly bad examples. As Professor Slughorn approached Norvel's potion, Norvel looked positively terrified at what he would say.

"Oh dear," Professor Slughorn sighed, stepping backwards a bit to avoid the sparks emitting from the cauldron. "It looks like we have a problem here. Don't fret, m'boy, you can come in for a makeup tomorrow lunch." He smiled at Norvel encouragingly, and Vanished the contents of his cauldron with a flick of his wand.

"Thank you sir," Norvel mumbled, mortified.

Professor Slughorn examined Lawrence and Eli's potions, nodding with approval. When he came to Albus' potion, he positively beamed with happiness.

"Amazing, Albus m'boy!" he boomed. "Looks like you Potters have the blood of a true potioneer! Why, your potion would be almost at your father's standard!"

Albus frowned in confusion. From what he had heard, his father used to be extremely bad at Potions, but he said nothing about this to Professor Slughorn.

"Alright, I'd like you to pour your potions into vials and put them on my desk so I can test them later. Don't forget to label it with your names!" Professor Slughorn announced.

They all poured their potions into vials, and put a stopper in it. Eli, Lawrence and Norvel went to Professor Slughorn's desk to hand it in. Albus set his vial on the table to grab his book bag, but as he reached for it he heard a _crash_ behind him. Albus spun around, and saw his vial in pieces on the floor, and the potion seeping all over the place. He frowned, as he had distinctly remembered putting the vial in the middle of the desk so it wouldn't roll off.

Albus heard a snigger, and spun around to the source of the noise. It came from Scorpius; he was sure of it; he still appeared to be talking to the boy with the long stringy brown hair, but Albus wasn't fooled one bit.

"Oh dear," Professor Slughorn said, "an unfortunate accident. But no worries, m'boy, no worries! I already saw your potion; the testing is just a mere formality! I'll be lenient this once; I'll give you full marks for today's work as long as you're more careful in the future."

"Yes, sir," Albus said gratefully, "thank you sir."

"It was no problem," Professor Slughorn answered, waving it away. "Class is over students, pack up your bags, come along now."

"What happened?" Eli asked Albus. "How did you drop your potion?"

"I didn't," Albus responded. "Scorpius did."

"Scorpius?" Norvel asked, confused. "why would he do that?"

"Oh I don't know," Albus answered sarcastically. "Maybe it's because we don't like each other. I am so going to murder him later."

As they left the dungeon, Albus saw an angry expression on Scorpius' face.

* * *

Later that evening, Eli announced to Albus, "We're skipping dinner."

"What?" Albus said, surprised. "Why?"

"I'm really not that hungry." Eli shrugged. "You?"

Albus considered for a moment, and said, "I'm not hungry either. Besides, we can always sneak down to the kitchens to get some food later, right?"

"Yes," Eli laughed.

So that night, when everybody in the Gryffindor room left for dinner, Albus and Eli were the only ones left inside the Gryffindor Tower. At least, that's what they thought until–

"Lil!" Albus exclaimed in surprise as Eli and he walked into the Common Room, spotting Lily sitting on the sofa in the middle, with a pile of books. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you eating dinner?"

The small redheaded girl smiled at him and said, "Oh, I don't know. I wasn't really hungry so I thought that I'd stay up here and review some of my textbooks."

Albus feigned horror. "You're turning into Rose!"

Lily laughed and said, "Thanks, Albus."

"You want some company?" Eli asked unexpectedly. Albus shot him a look of surprise but he suddenly understood what he should have figured out before. His best friend Eli liked his sister, Lily. He wasn't sure how to feel about that at first, but he decided he was okay with it since it was somebody he trusted rather than some other strange boy.

"So," he whispered, grinning at Eli and nudging him in the ribs. "My little sis, huh?"

Eli grinned back at him, a little abashed, but winked.

Lily looked uncertain for a second, but then she smiled at Eli, "Sure, you can help me with my homework too!"

Albus smiled as Eli joined Lily on the sofa, sitting beside her. "Hey guys, I'm going to go take a walk around school." he decided.

"Okay," Lily said, "don't stay out late though, you know curfew's at nine o'clock."

"Alright, see you." Albus waved at Lily and Eli, climbing out the portrait hole.

"Bye." Lily and Eli chorused.

* * *

As Albus wandered around the school grounds aimlessly, keeping an eye out for Filch–he wasn't sure if he was allowed on the school grounds by himself, even if it wasn't curfew yet–he thought about visiting Hagrid, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to go through having to eat his rock cakes and being introduced to his latest "pets".

Albus' feet took him in the direction of the large lake, where the friendly Giant Squid lived. He thought about perhaps going for a swim, but decided against it as the temperature would be near freezing. He daydreamed a little bit as he walked, letting his thoughts wander, pondering the past week's events, and thinking about Rose's strange behaviour that night. He was thinking about Mirah when he realized that there was a shadowy figure, sitting on the ground, looking at the lake, in the direction of the grove where he was staring. The shape of the silhouette looked familiar.

_Could it be?_ Albus wondered, not daring to believe. _That's–_

_ It's Mirah, of course, _said the wand in a tone that suggested Albus was an idiot.

"_Mirah_," Albus breathed incredulously. He began to walk towards her, but stopped.

_What am I supposed to say? _he thought. _I have no idea how to approach girls._

_Act like how you normally act,_ the wand suggested.

Albus took a breath and then went right up to her. Mirah noticed him approaching, looked at him then lifted her eyebrow up at him.

"Hi Mirah," Albus said, standing in front of her. "May I sit with you?"

"What, are you stalking me now, you creeper?" Mirah said tonelessly, but before Albus could respond, she said, "But sure, whatever. Sit."

Albus breathed a sigh of relief–or perhaps it was happiness–and sat down next to her on the cold ground. "What are you doing out here?" he asked, curious.

"This is my favourite spot to sit and think, whenever I'm..." Mirah trailed off, afraid to reveal too much of herself.

"Oh," Albus said. He waited patiently for a while, and when he finally couldn't contain himself, he blurted, "Whenever you're what?"

"Sorry," said Mirah, although she didn't sound sorry. "I can't tell you."

"Oh," said Albus again. "It's okay." He still wanted to know, but he decided to talk to her a bit more first.

"So what classes did you have today?" Albus asked, trying to make some conversation. It was the first question that popped into his head.

"Herbology and Arithmancy," Mirah replied.

"Is Arithmancy hard?" Albus asked. "My cousin takes it, but I never bothered to ask."

"Not really, once you begin to understand. It's all about numbers." Mirah explained.

"I see." Albus said. They lapsed back into silence. Albus took the opportunity to examine Mirah surreptitiously as she gazed back towards the lake. She was as beautiful as ever in his eyes, and the darkening sky caused her pale skin to almost glow softly in the night. Her honey brown curtain of hair framed her face, hiding her expression. Albus' curiosity still unsatisfied, he asked again, "So why do you come here to 'sit and think'?"

"Do you really want to know?" Mirah asked, looking at him intently. He saw something as he looked into her eyes but Albus didn't know what.

"Yes, please," he said softly.

"I come here," Mirah began; her voice barely a whisper. "when I'm unhappy. When I'm afraid."

With those words, she stood up, patted away the dust from her robes, and walked back towards the castle.

"Wait," Albus called after her after a few moments, but Mirah was already gone.

* * *

A/N: Hi everybody, I just want to pop in and express my gratitude that you've stuck with me this far. If you are reading, I'm assuming you are at least enjoying my story to some degree.  
However, if it's not too much to ask, I want some reviews - let me know what I'm doing wrong, or what I'm doing right!

Thanks,

WaylaidWanderer


	7. Chapter 6: Family and Friendship

Chapter Six – Family and Friendship

Albus returned to the Gryffindor Common Room to find that dinner was already over. Most of the Gryffindors had already returned. Eli and Lily were still sitting on the couch close together, crowded in by the amount of people in the Common Room. He stopped and observed them for a few moments. They were both smiling at each other, talking about something. Eli was looking at Lily with a fond expression on his face, and Lily looked extremely happy.

Albus grinned, and snuck up behind them. "Boo!" he said, grabbing both of them on the shoulders. Lily shrieked in surprise. Eli flinched slightly.

Albus laughed out loud. "Hi, having fun?" he asked, half teasing. "I'm back from my walk."

"Oh hi, Al! You surprised us!" Lily greeted him enthusiastically. "Eli's been helping me with History of Magic."

Albus shot Eli a look, his eyebrow raised.

"What?" Eli said defensively. "I'm good at History of Magic!"

"Of course you are," Albus grinned. "Never said you weren't. You're the only one who doesn't fall asleep when Professor Binns teaches, besides me that is, but _I_ have a reputation to uphold."

Lily and Eli both laughed; the idea of Albus Severus Potter caring about his reputation was absurd, since he was the type of person that was least likely to bother about what others thought about him.

"So…" Albus began, "are you sure that's _all_ you two were doing? Studying?" He raised his eyebrow and then winked.

Lily blushed all over, her face and even her ears glowing red with embarrassment. "Oh, you." she said, aiming a mock punch at Albus.

"Duh," Eli said with a smile. "I mean, we're just getting to know each other, right?" He winked at Lily, causing her to blush even more.

"Anyways," Albus said, "I'm starving after that walk. You want to go down to the kitchens now?"

"Sure, I could use some food." Eli replied.

Albus turned to Lily. "You want to come with us? You didn't eat any dinner either."

"Sure, I guess." Lily said. "Curfew's at nine though, and it's almost eight thirty. So we have to be quick."

"Sure, whatever you say… Lily Luna Potter." Eli smiled at Lily.

"Ack!" Lily said, mortified. "Don't use my full name! I mean… you don't have the privilege yet! Not that I like hearing you say it or anything. So don't get any ideas." She glared fiercely at Eli.

"Whoa, calm down, Lily." Eli protested with his hands raised. "Whatever you say; I _am_ a gentleman after all." Saying this, he picked up Lily's right hand with his left hand and brought it close to his face, pretending to kiss it. Lily blushed an even deeper shade of scarlet.

"Alright, enough already," Albus said, laughing at the expression on his sister's face. "Let's head to the kitchens – and keep an eye out for the teachers, Filch, and his cat!"

They proceeded down in the direction of the Hufflepuff Common Room, under the Great Hall. They stopped in front of a large portrait which featured a bowl of fruit. Albus stepped forward and tickled the pear in the fruit bowl, which started to giggle and squirm before magically turning into a doorknob. He turned the doorknob and the portrait swung out, revealing itself not as a portrait but a door to the kitchens of Hogwarts.

They were greeted by a crowd of house elves, squeaking enthusiastically at the new arrivals.

"What can I get for you, Masters?" a house elf with long drooping ears squeaked.

"Er…" Albus turned to Lily and Eli and asked, "What do you guys want?"

"I'll just have a tuna sandwich, vanilla pudding and orange juice." Eli decided.

"And I'll have a chicken sandwich and chocolate ice cream!" Lily exclaimed happily.

Albus groaned. "You and your love of chocolate… and ice cream. Okay, I guess I'll have a tuna sandwich as well, with hot chocolate. It was cold outside earlier."

Albus turned to the house elves and told them what they wanted, thanking them profusely.

The long eared house elf looked up happily and said, "Oh no, we have no need for thanks, Masters! Serving you is the only thanks and reward we need!" He bobbed away, followed by the crowd of elves which set to work immediately, pots and pans clattering.

"Er, okay then." Albus replied uncertainly.

"A bit thick, the house elves." Eli stage-whispered in a confiding tone to Albus and Lily.

They all laughed.

A few minutes later they dug into their food, savouring the taste of their sandwiches (and in Eli's case, his pudding as well); Albus drinking his hot chocolate and Eli drinking his orange juice. Lily wolfed down her chocolate ice cream with delight, slurping the melted chocolate ice cream from her bowl.

"You know, Lily, for a girl, you're sort of a messy eater." Albus commented.

Lily smiled at Albus and stuck her chocolate covered tongue out at him.

After they finished their food, they stood up, and were immediately crowded by house elves, asking if they enjoyed their food and if they wanted more.

They refused politely; the house elves bade them goodbye and invited them to come again.  
"Wait," Eli said to Lily, putting his hand on her shoulder before she stepped out of the portrait door. "You still have a bit of melted chocolate ice cream on your chin."

"Oh, thanks," said Lily, reaching up automatically to wipe it off. Before she could do so, however, Eli's hand caught hers and then he used his other hand to wipe it off for her. Lily's chocolate-brown eyes became wide, and even wider when Eli licked his chocolate stained finger.

"Mm," Eli commented. "Delicious. I can see why you like chocolate ice cream." He grinned at her, looking straight into her eyes. They gazed at each other for a few seconds–Lily all too aware of Eli's hand still holding hers–until Albus stuck his head back into the kitchens.

"Come on, what are you two doing?" Albus said. "We don't have time for you to be making eyes at each other. Curfew is in five minutes!"

"Right," Eli said, smiling. "Hey Lily, do you know how adorable you look when you blush?"

For Lily at that moment _was_ blushing. "I am _not_ adorable!" she protested.

"Of course you're not," Eli laughed, giving Lily a one armed hug and pulling her out the door.

"I'm not…" Lily mumbled in indignation as she permitted herself to be led away from the kitchens by Eli.

Albus rolled his eyes at the pair of them, and led the way back to the Gryffindor tower.

* * *

_Give in to me…_ the voice insisted, as if it was stuck on repeat on a phonograph. _Give in to me. Give in._

It was night time, and Albus was having nightmares yet again. It was always the same; he dreamed of voices, and formless shadows that emanated menace.

_Give in, and I will make you happy._ the voice continued. _You will have everything you want. And Mirah… don't you want her love?_

Albus moaned in his sleep; a sound of protest.

_All you have to do is let me in. I will do everything for you. You will gain everything you've ever wished for and things beyond your wildest dreams._ the voice kept on talking, and gained a hard edge. _But if you don't give in, Albus Severus Potter, you will suffer. I will make you suffer._

"No," Albus gasped, panting, wrenched awake by his nightmare. He sat up. It was as black as night inside his four poster bed. The dormitory was filled with the sound of snoring from Norvel and Lawrence.

"You okay?" Eli said from outside the tapestries and then, without waiting for a response, "You weren't as loud this time, at least. Now go to sleep."

"Thanks," Albus replied, and sank back into his soft bed. Sleep reclaimed him a few moments later.

* * *

"Morning, Al! Wake up, rise and shine, et cetera et cetera." Albus awoke to Eli ripping his bed tapestries open, the sunlight streaming in. He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the levels of light.

"Hello to you too," Albus said grumpily. "Now put that light out."

"It's the _sun_," Eli said pointedly. "I can't put out the sun. ANYWAY, double DADA and History of Magic today!" he winked at Albus.

Albus said nothing; he only groaned, but he felt secretly happy inside. That would be two whole hours he would get to see Mirah, and perhaps he would get to spend some more time with her, and talk to her about yesterday's events.

"So maybe today will be a good day for you, huh?" Eli continued.

_The best,_ Albus thought to himself, and then added as an afterthought, _I hope_.

* * *

Hi readers, WaylaidWanderer here.  
So by this point I realized something: my chapters are extremely SHORT.  
Or at least, not as long as some of the better fanfics I've seen.

So PLEASE, for EVERYBODY'S SAKE, REEEEVIIIEEEEWWWW!!!!!

I need FEEDBACK! I wanna know how I'm DOING!

*doe eyes* Please?

Anyways from this point on, everything is going to start happening. As I may or may not have said before, the last few chapters have been completely devoted to *ahem* subtly introducing you to the characters: their personalities, flaws, habits, and what type of person they are.  
So now that's out of the way, we can finally get ON WITH THE SHOW!

And again, please REVIEW! I have 6 chapters and 5 reviews, but they're from two people! I want more of your opinions PLEASE!


	8. Chapter 7: New Rivalries

Chapter Seven – New Rivalries

"Today, we will be learning the Reductor curse." Professor Bulwark announced to the class. "The Reductor curse is a powerful spell that has the potential to destroy any object it is cast at. The success of the spell depends on the caster's power and will, and the toughness and size of the object."

"Cool," Lawrence whispered. "We get to blow up stuff."

"Casting the Reductor curse is relatively simple." Professor Bulwark explained. "All you need to do is point your wand at the object in question, and say '_Reducto_'. I will be giving you objects to practice upon."

Saying this, he levitated stone bricks, making them land in front of each student. "The only reason you have so many is because I've cast a Duplication Spell on the original. Surprisingly, bricks can be expensive; but I digress. Please don't let the dust from the exploding bricks–and yes, they _will_ explode–get into your eyes, so exercise caution! Now, begin, class!"

Albus waved at Eli with a mock salute, winked, and sidled up to Mirah.

"Hi Mirah," he greeted her cautiously, unsure of how she would react.

"Hello," she answered noncommittally.

"Erm…" Albus began, slightly thrown off. "I want to apologize to you, for–well, you know, yesterday. I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry."

Mirah looked at him, her expression almost looked surprised. "It's fine," she replied, her voice in a monotone.

"Please," Albus pressed on. "Can you forgive me?"

"Look," Mirah snapped suddenly, the monotony of her voice gone. "You did nothing wrong. There's nothing to forgive."

Albus opened his mouth, wanting to argue with her, but bit his lips and decided not to. "Alright then," he said, trying his best to sound indifferent. "Whatever you wish."

"Well, let's get started," Mirah said, smiling slightly.

"Oh, er, okay." Albus said. _What's with her? _he thought, a bit confused. _One moment she's all cold and next she's actually smiling._ "So, point and cast…"

_Ravenclaws _are_ temperamental. _commented the wand.

_BOOM!_

An explosion filled the air, filling the room with smoke and the smell of sawdust. The Ravenclaws and Gryffindors coughed, covering their nose and mouths with their sleeves.

"Relax, students!" They heard Professor Bulwark say through the smoke. "I'll have this smoke cleared up before you can say... _Evanesco!_"

The smoke Vanished immediately, showing the culprit – Norvel, standing near the front of the class with his eyebrows singed and his hair which apparently had been on fire from the smell of it but was now extinguished. He was covered in sawdust.

"Norvel Thruston," Professor Bulwark said furiously as he advanced on Norvel, who looked both miserable and terrified simultaneously. "_How_, may I ask you, did you manage to make a mess of a simple spell like the Reductor Curse? It may be a hard one to master, but that gives you no excuse to completely misdirect your magical energy and _completely destroy_ my work desk!"

The students realized simultaneously that the sawdust was the remnants of Professor Bulwark's desk–Norvel must have completely missed with his Reductor curse, which wasn't an easy feat.

"Ten points from Gryffindor! You are lucky that my papers weren't destroyed, otherwise you'd be in a lot more trouble," Professor Bulwark continued. "As it were, I'm giving you a week's detention on top of that. Come to my office at seven o'clock this the evening–you will be spending your dinnertime with me, but you won't be eating, I can assure you."

"Yes, sir." Norvel squeaked, his voice barely audible.

"Class, start practicing, don't dawdle!" Professor Bulwark said dismissing Norvel with a wave of his hand, most of the anger gone from his voice. As he cleared up the sawdust and stacked the papers magically, Albus saw his professor shake his head and sigh.

"Well, you can't say your friend isn't interesting. _Reducto!_" Mirah said, pointing her wand at the grey brick in front of her. It blew up immediately, pieces flying outwards, the rest turned into dust.

"Very good, but concentrate more; you need to control the outcome." Professor Bulwark commented, seeing Mirah's successful attempt. "Come on now, class, we've got lots to accomplish today!"

"Your turn, Albus." Mirah instructed. "Let's see how good you are."

"_Reducto._" Albus said almost lazily with a flourish of his wand, trying to show off. It worked. His brick disintegrated, turning into a pile of very fine grey dust.

"Excellent!" Professor Bulwark exclaimed. "Very fine work. You've got some power in you, Albus. I wouldn't be surprised if you were exceptionally good at Transfiguration as both classes require the same amount of concentration and determination, and of course, talent. Ten points to Gryffindor!"

"I am, sir." Albus said modestly. "And thank you."

"Now try these." Professor Bulwark said to Mirah and Albus, summoning two steel blocks the size of Albus' head. "This should be harder to destroy."

Professor Bulwark went around class, lending a helping hand whenever necessary. He gave out more steel blocks to other students who had been successful as well.

"Nice, Potter," Mirah smirked. "Even though you were obviously just showing off."

"Maybe," said Albus, but he smiled at her.

Mirah smiled back.

They spent the rest of class in amicable silence, progressing to the tougher stages of the Reductor Curse, being given tougher objects each time. When it was finally time for DADA to end, Professor Bulwark announced, "Class, we will continue practising the Reductor Curse for our next lesson. Don't worry; if you can't master it, we have all week!" He laughed a short booming laugh.

Some of the students groaned.

"Now off you go, time for lunch!" Professor Bulwark dismissed the class.

"Hey," Albus began, "May I–"

"Nope," Mirah interrupted, and left, her wavy honey brown hair trailing behind her.

Albus looked at the door from which Mirah had exited, shaking his head in exasperation and amazement.

* * *

"I don't understand why she keeps blowing me off," Albus whispered to Eli grumpily later on the walk towards the Great Hall, with Norvel and Lawrence following behind them. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with me, is there?" He gestured vaguely to himself.

"Of course not," Eli said in a reassuring tone. "Besides your face that is–just joking, just joking!" he added hurriedly as he saw the expression on Albus' face.

"Ha, ha." Albus replied sarcastically.

"I can't believe I lost ten points from Gryffindor," Norvel said, his face downcast and his eyes sad. He sighed, "I don't think I'm cut out to be a good Wizard."

"Don't be ridiculous," Lawrence said. "Like Professor Bulwark said, you just have to concentrate properly and make it work. If you believe you can do it, then you can do it."

"Exactly," Albus agreed, with Eli nodding as well. "Besides, I got back those ten points for us, so no harm done!"

Norvel looked a bit more cheered up by this, and was in better spirits by the time they arrived at the Great Hall.

The group entered the Great Hall, which was already filled with students and teachers, and tables which were already laden with food. They spotted Rose and Lily whom had apparently just arrived as well, as they were in the process of sitting down. Norvel and Lawrence waved at Albus and Eli, and went off to join their other friends at the far end of the Gryffindor table.

"Amazing... what's that dazzling light?" Eli asked dramatically, pointing to Lily. "Its glow is blinding me with its... er, glow..." he finished lamely, ruining the effect.

"Oh, don't be a sod," Albus grinned at Eli, and together they went to sit down with Rose and Lily. Eli took a seat right beside Lily, who looked pleasantly surprised at his action. Albus sat across from all three of them.

"Hello you lot," Rose greeted them. "How was class?"

"I'm sure Albus wowed everybody with his skill in magic, as usual." Lily teased, but of course she wasn't far off.

"Well, Albus _did_ spend all of DADA impressing Professor Bulwark with his aptitude in the Reductor Curse, and of course, trying to impress Mirah as well." Eli laughed at Albus' stricken expression.

"Who?" Lily asked, interested.

"Eli!" Albus spluttered. "They're not supposed to – that is, why did you say that in front of them?!" He glared at Eli.

"It's that Ravenclaw girl from the Selway family," Eli informed the girls, enjoying Albus' discomfort and earning another glare from him.

"Mirah Selway?" Rose asked, suddenly interested, although her expression had a bit of distaste in it. "She's in my Arithmancy class."

"Why, what's wrong with her?" Albus said defensively at Rose's tone.

"She's such a snob!" Rose said angrily. "That cold, stuck-up b–well, I mean, I tried to make friends with her once but she just pushed me away! What, are us Weasleys not good enough for purebloods like her?"

"She must have her reasons," Albus argued, "She–"

But Lily interrupted. "You're in love with Mirah!" she sang with a devious look in her eyes. "I don't know who she is, but you're in love with Mirah!"

"Oh shush," Albus grumbled. Lily stopped, but flashed a wide grin at Albus to let him know that this wouldn't be the last time he would be hearing about it.

As they ate their food while chatting about school life, Rose didn't broach the subject about Mirah again, although she shot him the occasional glare as if she disapproved of his choice in girls. As far as Albus was concerned, he didn't care whatever Rose thought about Mirah–he was more worried about whether or not he would still be able to remain good friends with Rose.

"Well, I'm sort of full already," Albus said. "If it's okay with you Eli, I'm going to go take a walk and burn off all the fat I just ate. I'm sure you'd prefer to stay here anyways." He winked at Eli, who just laughed and ruffled Lily's hair. She shrieked in surprise and retaliated by attempting to mess up Eli's hair as well, but he was too fast for her and blocked all her attempts. Albus looked at Rose before he left, meeting her eyes and trying to convey that he was sorry that she felt that way, but there was nothing anybody could do to change it. Perhaps Rose understood, as she gave him a slight, but curt nod.

Albus left Eli, Lily and Rose in the Great Hall, chuckling inwardly at his best friend and his sister's antics and still worrying about Rose. He walked out onto the Hogwarts Grounds, enjoying the fresh cold air, his wanderings taking him to the gardens by the Herbology classes. He noticed a boy leaning against the greenhouse, who appeared to be looking interestedly at something. He had neat black hair, light brown skin and bright-but dark at the same time-blue eyes. He looked a bit taller than Albus, and Albus could tell that he was athletic. Albus followed his gaze, and his stomach clenched in a spark of jealously which became a roaring hot flame. The boy was looking at Mirah, who was with a group of Ravenclaws–her friends, by the looks of it.

Albus' shoulders stiffened and he stalked past the boy, who regarded him with disinterest before turning his gaze back towards Mirah. As Albus walked past the group of Ravenclaws, his angry eyes met Mirah, who looked shocked for a second, before turning back quickly to her friends. He walked back towards the school quickly.

_How dare he look at Mirah that way!_ Albus thought furiously, thinking about the mysterious boy. Albus mentally evaluated him with the mindset of a rival, noticing from what he remembered that he appeared to be Italian in origin and exuded confidence. Incensed, he stalked back towards the Gryffindor tower. _He can't have her–I can't let–I don't want him to make a move on her!_

_And he's a Slytherin,_ the wand said, sounding smug.

_You're right!_ Albus exclaimed mentally, shocked. Now that he thought about it, the boy had been wearing Slytherin colors. _And why do you sound so smug?_ he snapped, and then without waiting, _that makes it worse, I can't let a Slytherin get to Mirah! I've got to do something about it–maybe I'll keep a closer eye on that boy from Slytherin, and find out more about him first._

"Password?" The Fat Lady inquired as Albus approached.

"Rosie," Albus replied with a smirk on his face. The Fat Lady's portrait swung open, admitting him into the Common Room.

_Why did you sound so amused?_ the wand asked, sounding curious.

_Rose must have had a hard time today,_ Albus laughed inwardly. _She hates that nickname–Rosie–and I made the mistake of being persistent in calling her that just to tease her, causing her to bash me over the head with a frying pan._

As Albus entered his dormitory and retrieved his History of Magic textbooks, he thought, _If that Slytherin starts to go out with Mirah–if he asks, and if she accepts–I don't know what I would do! I don't know how Mirah will react, and – and..._ Unable to articulate his fears and frustration in his mind, Albus resorted to growling angrily, upset again as he left to rejoin Eli in the Great Hall.


	9. Chapter 8: A Fowl Problem

A/N: Hello, everybody, Chapter Eight is finally up! To those who have been following, I apologize for not updating sooner as I have been extremely busy; plied with schoolwork, other work, and personal problems.  
I originally was planning on making Chapter Eight longer, but I wanted to get this chapter up quickly. You won't be disappointed though! And I'm looking forward to uploading Chapter Nine as well!

Also, an apology to Ravenclaw's Redhead: Albus' rival isn't in this chapter, because I wanted to put _something_ up here and he just didn't fit! Sorry!

**Update, May 5/10:** Description of the snake was changed... silly me, describing it without doing the least bit of research :P

* * *

Chapter Eight – A Fowl Problem

Albus was dreaming. In his mind, he was looking at a young wizard, perhaps about twenty years old. The wizard was dirty, and his robes were ragged. He was slumped against an alleyway, coins littered around him. Then the man was jerked upright by an invisible force, and began to float gracefully through the air. The background dissolved into a bright orange, swirling around the wizard, and a seahorse flew over to him and perched upon his shoulder, chirping happily. The wizard looked straight at him, his face melting and then reforming to show a chalk-white face and eyes of red, his cloak billowing around him.

_Hello Albus,_ he hissed. _It's a pleasure to kill you._

The wizard lunged towards him, hand outstretched. The wand in his other hand transformed into a great green snake, coiling around his arm, and hissing which was joined by the wizard in kind.

_Die,_ he snarled, showing pointed teeth.

"NOOOOO!" Albus screamed as he woke up. "Stop, no!"

"Al, Al, calm down!" His bed tapestries were ripped open, to show a shadowy figure looming over him.

Albus flailed at the figure, trying to escape; determined to live.

"Albus Severus Potter," The figure said, shaking him, "It's me, Eli! You were just having a nightmare. It's okay, you're awake."

Albus blinked and Eli came into focus, his eyes wide and concerned.

"Oh," Albus said, embarrassed, "I'm so sorry, Eli."

"It's alright," Eli answered. "So, tell me about your dream. I could tell this one was pretty bad."

Albus took a few moments to consider his bizarre dream, and recounted, "Well, in my dream, I saw a wizard – I think he was homeless, since he was lying in an alleyway, and coins were scattered around him. Then he started to fly, or actually, he floated through the air, and then the world dissolved into bright orange around him. And somehow a seahorse was perched on his shoulder, and then the wizard spoke to me."

"He spoke to you?" Eli asked, surprised.

"Yes, he told me it was a pleasure to kill me." Albus answered, "And then he tried to attack me – his wand turned into a snake and they both hissed at me, and the wizard's face melted and reformed and it was chalk-white, and he had pointed teeth… and red eyes."

Albus shivered, remembering the hateful glare those red eyes had given him.

"Merlin, that's bizarre." Eli said, patting him on the shoulder comfortingly. "But don't worry; it's just another nightmare from your bizarre mind. Seahorses... Merlin..."

Albus mock-punched him, pretending to be angry, but he laughed.

"Well it's almost morning now," Eli said, "and the sun's coming up."

Albus glanced out the window near Eli's bed, and saw that a faint glow was just peeking up, over the top of the mountain ranges near Hogwarts.

"Right," Albus said, "Shall we have an early morning then?"

"Yes," Eli said, grinning. "I wouldn't be able to sleep again anyways."

"Well," Albus replied, putting on his robes. "Breakfast time is in about an hour. Let's go down to the Common Room and dawdle by the fire."

"Sure," Eli said, putting on his robes as well. "Don't forget your wand."

They proceeded downstairs, where Albus saw a familiar figure sitting down in an armchair inside the Common Room – familiar because it was his brother, James.

"James!" Albus exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing up so early?"

James looked around guiltily, and he nervously brushed his dark red hair out of his brown eyes.

"I–erm, I was down in the kitchens," James said evasively.

"Doing what, exactly?" Albus asked suspiciously.

James glanced around to make sure no one else except Albus and Eli were present, and said with a grin, "I was preparing for a prank."

"A prank?" asked Eli curiously.

"Yes," James said, laughing. "You'll find out when you go to the Great Hall today."

"Does that mean we should stay away from the food?" Eli asked apprehensively.

"No, don't worry," James responded. "It's not going to affect the students."

_Not going to affect the students?_ Albus thought in surprise.

_It sounds like your brother means the staff._ the wand replied.

_The staff!_ Albus exclaimed in his head. _He could get into a lot of trouble!_

When he expressed this concern to James, he merely laughed it off.

"I won't get into trouble," James said. "Besides, it's pretty much a foolproof plan."

"Yes, well…" Albus changed the subject, not wishing to incriminate himself through association. "Where have you been this past week? I haven't seen you in the Common Room all week or anywhere in fact."

"I've been in detention all week," James said, looking embarrassed. "I made this Slytherin git sprout feathers and a beak because he was being a bit of a bully to everybody. Of course, the git reported me to Professor Slughorn, who told Professor McGonagall, and she put me in detention–I've been scrubbing the bedpans in the hospital wing without magic for a whole week!" James shuddered.

"And of course you go right back to pranking at the first opportunity," Albus said, exasperated. "If you get into trouble, remember, I had nothing to do with this."

"Of course, little brother," James smiled deviously. "Honour between brothers and everything, right?"

* * *

As Albus and Eli sat in the Great Hall an hour later with Rose and Lily, the girls couldn't help noticing that they looked nervous.

"Okay, spill." Rose demanded. "What's gotten your knickers in a knot?"

Lily spluttered at Rose's choice in expressions.

Rose ignored her, and glared at Albus and Eli. "Well?" she said impatiently.

"James is going to play a prank on the staff." Albus said quickly.

Rose and Lily looked shocked. "What?!" they exclaimed at the same time.

"James can't do that!" Rose began angrily, "He might get expelled, or–"

They never heard the rest of what Rose said, for at that moment, there was a loud explosion from the teacher's table at the end of the Great Hall. The collective faces of all the houses swivelled towards the teachers in surprise, only to find that it was covered by smoke.

When the smoke cleared, the students started laughing uproariously. The teachers' skins had turned blue and they had grown white feathers all over them. Professor McGonagall, Professor Slughorn, Professor Flitwick, Professor Longbottom looked shocked. Hagrid was the only person who hadn't been affected, probably due to his giant blood. He seemed to enjoy watching the teachers' discomfort as he was chuckling loudly through his beard.

Professor McGonagall stood up, her expression thunderous, and shouted, "If I find out who put a Transmogrifying Potion in our food, I will personally take off fifty points from their house and sentence them to half a month in detention!" Her eyes flicked to Albus. He gulped and looked hastily into his goblet of orange juice.

"Now, now, Minerva," Professor Slughorn said calmly through his feathery face, chuckling a little bit, "This is a simple potion and can be reversed in a few minutes! Allow me to go brew an antidote and I'll be back before you know it."

"Please do, Horace." Professor McGonagall said, looking exasperated.

A few minutes later, Professor Slughorn returned with four vials of a murky blue potion.

"Here we go," Professor Slughorn said, handing each professor a vial with a feathery hand. "We'll be back to normal in no time, I promise."

Each of the professors brought the vial up to their lips, and swallowed the potion with an expression of distaste. A few seconds later, four small pops were heard, and they changed back into their normal selves.

"Now students, please get back to eating your breakfasts!" Professor McGonagall commanded.

As the general noise died down, being replaced with the dull roar of conversation and the clinking of cutlery, Albus looked at James, halfway down the Gryffindor table, who winked at him and mouthed, "See? I told you! Foolproof!"

Albus was in the middle of taking a bit out of his toast when a great rustling sounded from above them. It was from hundreds of owls, soaring all over the place. A snowy white owl landed in front of him delicately, avoiding the food on the table. Its great brown eyes looked at him, and it hooted, sticking its leg out towards him. A letter was attached by a red ribbon to its leg.

"'Lo, Ariana," Albus said quietly, detaching the letter and stroking her head.

"Hi Ari!" Lily squealed, petting the snowy owl along with Rose.

Ariana, Albus was told, was named after Albus Dumbledore's sister as a tribute to him. His father had chosen a snowy white owl in the memory of his first owl, also a snowy white owl named Hedwig.

Ariana gave Albus a quick hoot, nibbled his finger gently and flew off to the Owlery. Albus looked at the letter, and saw that it was in his father's quick and untidy scrawl.

"A letter from your dad?" Eli asked.

"Yes," Albus replied.

_Albus Severus Potter,_ it said on the outside, _Great Hall_.

Albus unrolled the letter and read the contents.

_Hello Albus,_

_ It's dad, I'm just checking up on you to see how you are doing at Hogwarts. I remember fifth year, and it was absolutely terrible for me. We had this hag of a DADA teacher who wouldn't let us practice spells at all and I had to teach students DADA secretly instead. And then some other things happened. All in all, it wasn't a very enjoyable year for me. Anyway, enough about me. I want to hear about your classes. Have you beaten Rose yet? Has the lessons been hard? You have your OWLS this year! I've always been surprised you are so clever! No offense Albus, I just meant that I wasn't the brightest bloke in class. It must be your mother's genes in you._

_ And how is everybody else? Is Lily studying hard, and has James been up to his usual pranks? Your mum says that if he gets a letter from the Headmistress one more time she will personally send him a Howler. Say hello to Rose and Hugo for me and of course your best friend Eli and everybody else. Also, this reminds me: you're of the age where you've probably started taking an interest in girls, so if you have any questions please feel free to ask me. We can have "the talk" when you come back for Christmas if you want._

_Love,_

_Dad_

_PS: This is your mum here! Have you made up your mind about trying out for Quidditch yet? It's in you to become a great Quidditch player, you know! I'll buy you that pet snake you wanted, you know, __that reddish one with the stripes behind the eyes_? (I don't know why you love snakes so much, are you sure you don't belong in Slytherin? Haha, just joking!)

_Love you lots, _

_Mum_

Albus smiled as he read the letter, but he wasn't looking forward to "the talk". He made a mental note to warn James about their mum's threat to write him a Howler, and said to the group at large, "Mum says to say hi for her to all of you. Where's Hugo?"

"I don't know," answered Rose. "I think he's somewhere down the table with his friends, I'll pass on the message."

"Thanks, Rose." Albus said gratefully.

He read the postscript from his mum and smiled, almost exasperated. His mother sure knew how to get to him. If she really bought him that snake, then perhaps he wouldn't mind trying out for Quidditch.

"What's with the bizarre smile?" asked Eli. "You look like you're torn between being happy and resigned all at the same time.

"It looks like I'm going to be trying out for Quidditch after all." Albus sighed.

Eli's eyes grew wide. "Really?" he asked, his voice bursting with excitement.

"Really." Albus assured him.

"YES!" Eli cried out jubilantly.

* * *

A/N: What happens next? Well, in the next chapter, we'll see more of Albus' rival, and we'll have lots of complicated stuff going on (hopefully)!  
Quidditch tryouts, a duel, girl problems, oh my!


	10. Chapter 9: Trials and Tribulations

**A/N**: Hi everybody! WaylaidWanderer here again!  
This is my longest chapter yet, almost double the length of the other ones!  
Since I worked so hard on it, please gimme reviews!  
I know it might be hard for some of you to get into the story since there will be so many OC's, but it's the next gen and there was practically no info given on them!  
So please, give it a chance and **REVIEW!**

**

* * *

**

Chapter Nine – Trials and Tribulations

Saturday found Albus and Eli down at the Quidditch pitch on a cloudy grey Monday. They were both shivering from the cold, since it was only a little bit after morning, and they had just finished breakfast. The Quidditch captain, an olive skinned boy with short scraggly brown hair named Tyson Jordan–as Albus later found out–had divided them into groups which would fly around the pitch so that it wouldn't be too overcrowded.

Albus was put into a group with Eli; they had both decided to try out for Chaser. They had been given two old Nimbus 2001s from the broom shed. James was in another group with some older boys; he was trying out for the position of Chaser as well, which was required as a formality even though he had been on the Gryffindor Quidditch team ever since his second year.

It turned out that a lot more people than Albus expected had shown up to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Of course, since it was Albus' first time at a tryout–he had never bothered to show up for his brother's–he was understandably nervous. There were some Gryffindors trying out that looked huge and intimidating, and there was also a group of girls who looked determined as well. Albus recognized one of them from the last time he had came to a match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff last year–she was one of Gryffindor's chasers at that time, along with James.

_What if I mess up? _Albus thought frantically. _What if I keep on dropping the Quaffle? James and Eli will never let me live it down!_

Albus' thoughts must have registered on his expression because Eli said to him, "Don't worry, Albus. We'll both do fine! Honestly, I'm bloody nervous myself." Eli grinned at him.

"Alright, men and women!" Tyson Jordan shouted, clapping his hands to get everybody's attention. "Welcome to the Gryffindor Quidditch tryout! Today, like every other year, a select few of you will be chosen as our new, and possibly old members of our team! So for you lot of lucky hopefuls that want to have a place on the team, you will need to surpass everybody else. The Gryffindor Quidditch team is about skill. It's about bravery on the pitch. It's about your determination to succeed!" With that note, Tyson directed a group of what looked to be Gryffindor second years onto their brooms, kicking off into the sky first and then wheeled around, facing them.

The second years' skills weren't exceptional, and two of them fell off their brooms within five minutes in the air. For those who managed to stay on, they were each given a Quaffle by Tyson.

"You will all be taking turns shooting at the center hoop. If you succeed in placing five shots in the hoop consecutively, you will be selected as a finalist where you will then move on to the next round after everybody else has done the same." Tyson instructed. "Begin!"

The second years who had managed to stay on their brooms held on tight to their Quaffles and bravely tried not to fall off. The first boy flung his arm back and launched the Quaffle forward, making it soar through the center hoop, but almost struck the rim. He gasped inaudibly as he began to lose his balance, but managed to stay on his broom. He attempted another shot, but this time it missed entirely, falling short of the hoop. Tyson dived to retrieve the Quaffle.

"Okay, nice try, but unfortunately you're just not suitable for the team yet," Tyson told the downcast boy, who flew back down to the ground, stumbling off his broom. He joined the spectators watching the tryouts from the stands. The rest of the second years fared no better, and all of them were disqualified.

Tyson ordered the next group, the one with James and the girl in it to take to the air. This group was more confident with their flying abilities, and flew around the pitch several times in quick succession. When it was time for them to be tested on their scoring skills, only two boys out of the five Gryffindors were disqualified. The ones that passed, including a grinning James, were made to sit in a separate section of the stands.

Next, it was Albus' turn, along with Eli and a couple of other Gryffindors in his year that he didn't know very well.

"Come on up, you lot!" Tyson called to them from above, circling the pitch.

Albus mounted his borrowed Nimbus 2001 and kicked off into the air. From the corners of his eyes, he could see Eli and the rest of the group doing the same. Being in the air was an exalting feeling. Albus felt _free_ for once in his life, with the cold wind rushing through his hair and the warm sun that was beginning to bathe the Quidditch pitch in its glow.

"Alright, circle around the pitch a couple of times!" Tyson commanded.

Albus sped off, followed by Eli, who pulled up beside him. "Not quite so bad, right?" Eli yelled through the wind happily. Albus said nothing, simply laughing in joy. It felt natural for him to fly; he knew exactly how to make the broom do whatever he wanted it to. He had flown on a broom before when he was younger, but it had felt nothing like this. The group circled the pitch, with Albus and Eli diving and pulling up and weaving in and out of the other Gryffindors.

A sharp whistle blast told them to line up at the hoops. Tyson tossed a Quaffle to each of them and said, "You know what to do. You," he pointed at a strong looking fifth year with blonde hair, "you can go first."

The boy sped forwards slightly, took careful aim and launched the Quaffle through the air. It sailed into the center hoop gracefully. Tyson dove and caught it, and handed it back to him. The boy repeated this, and got every single shot in.

"Excellent!" Tyson said. "You passed, so go wait over there." He pointed towards the three other Gryffindors who had qualified.

"Next!" Tyson pointed at Albus, who gulped nervously. He flew forward, steering his broom so that he was facing the center hoop dead on.

_I can do this,_ Albus reassured himself. He drew his arm back, took aim, and launched the Quaffle through the air, and straight through the center hoop.

_Yes!_ Albus crowed to himself, as Tyson retrieved the Quaffle and threw it back to Albus.

This time Albus didn't hesitate; he launched it towards the center hoop as hard as he could, and got it in again... and again, and again. He had managed to successfully score four times, and he only needed to do it once more.

"Come on, Albus," he heard Eli call from behind him, "You can do it!"

Albus drew in a deep breath, extended his arm back, and launched the Quaffle forward. In his mind, the Quaffle seemed to slow down. He could see it rotating slowly as it flew towards the center hoop, and for a moment he was convinced that he had missed, but he was wrong and it shot straight through the hoop.

"Yes!" Albus whooped.

"Congratulations," Tyson said. "Go wait at the stands."

Albus flew back to the ground, disembarking his broom and walked over, joining the four Gryffindors.

James smiled at him and clapped him on the shoulder. "Congratulations, little brother." he said. "We'll make a Quidditch family out of you yet."

It was Eli's turn next, and he could see that the brown skinned boy was nervous as well. He watched Eli as he threw the Quaffle – it went straight into the hoop.

"Yes!" Albus cheered. Eli looked down at him and gave him a mock salute.

Eli also succeeded in placing all five shots, and so did the boy after him. The last one however, missed the second shot and was immediately disqualified.

The Gryffindors who tried out for Beater were all very good, for the exception of a few who didn't seem to know what they were doing with the bat. After that trial was over, last year's Beaters, two heavyset Gryffindors officially rejoined the team.

The group of seven Gryffindors trying for Chaser, who had passed the first round, were called up again. This time, Tyson set himself up in front of the goal hoops.

"This round, you will be attempting to score as many shots as you can out of five." Tyson announced. "Since I'm the Keeper, I will be attempting to block as many of your shots as I can. The top three will officially become our new Chasers!"

All seven of the Gryffindors whooped in glee, the sense of competition strong between them. James was up first. He tried what looked like to be an obvious feint, pretending to throw it at the right hoop but switching to the left hoop at the last second. Tyson saw right through it–or at least, he though he did. As he flew towards the left hoop, the Quaffle was launched right through the air, into the _right_ hoop. James let out a triumphant laugh. His next four shots all went in as well, employing various methods of trickery or just plain speed to ensure a goal.

_Looks like James is smarter than I thought,_ Albus thought wryly. _If only he could think as well as he can with his school work _and_ Quidditch... if only._

The next three Gryffindors, the girl from last year's roster, a large, intimidating looking boy and the fifth year with blonde hair that was in his group went up next. The girl made all five shots, the large boy only four, and the fifth year only four goals as well.

The remaining fifth year, a smaller boy with short, spiky orange hair and tanned skin went up next. He was the worst so far, with only three successful goals, although he wasn't lacking in skill but was just rather unlucky.

Albus and Eli were the only remaining Gryffindors that were trying out for Chaser now. So far, two Gryffindors had already qualified to be the team Chasers, with both James and the girl getting five shots in. It was down to either Albus or Eli to fill in the remaining spot on the team.

Tyson beckoned Albus forward. Albus steered his broom to a proper distance from the hoops, swallowing nervously. Tyson motioned for him to begin when he was ready. Albus immediately launched the Quaffle towards the right hoop, hard and fast, counting on the speed to make a goal. He succeeded; the Quaffle shot straight through the hoop; Tyson's fingers barely missing it. Tyson caught the Quaffle and tossed it back to Albus.

Albus deliberated his next move, considering the best way to get in the next shot. He remembered playing catch, and smiled. _Perfect,_ he thought.

Albus launched the ball again, straight at the center hoop. Tyson, believing that it would be an easy save, stayed there, but in the last few moments, the Quaffle veered towards the left hoop, the result of the spin Albus had put into his throw. The Quaffle soared through yet again. Albus was exhilarated. _I can do this,_ he realized. _I'm good at Quidditch!_

Albus successfully got in all of the next three shots, one by flying circles–figuratively–around Tyson, and then shooting at the last moment, another by using the same feinting method James had used, and the last shot right under Tyson's outstretched arm.

"Congratulations," Tyson smiled, "You qualify–and now it all depends on that last bloke. If he gets in five shots, we'll have to do this again, but if he gets in less than five, then you'll be one of the new Chasers."

"Good luck, Eli!" Albus called out to him as he flew down to the stands. Eli only gave him a weak grin in reply, clearly nervous like Albus had been.

As Albus watched Eli with some trepidation, wanting Eli to do well, he launched his first Quaffle. Eli managed to get it through the left hoop, barely avoiding letting it be blocked by Tyson. The next shot went straight through the center hoop. For the next shot, Eli flew straight at the right hoop. Tyson swerved from the center hoop and moved to intercept Eli, but Eli was only feinting; he launched it at the center hoop as soon as Tyson had reached him. Tyson swore, but not too angrily, and retrieved the Quaffle.

Albus saw Eli take a deep breath; this was his fourth shot, and he was feeling the pressure. Eli drew his arm back, and launched the Quaffle into the left hoop. Tyson was expecting it this time, and sped to the hoop, stretching out his arm, trying to block the Quaffle. The Quaffle hit his arm with a dull thwack, causing something flashing gold to fall through the air.

"No!" Tyson yelled in surprise. "That's my dad's watch!"

"I'm sorry!" Eli yelled, diving steeply, determined to make amends.

"Stop, it's too dangerous!" Tyson commanded. "You'll hurt yourself!"

Eli ignored Tyson, and put on a burst of speed. He was only perhaps twenty feet from the ground, and the gold watch looked like it was going to hit the hard, grassy ground below. Albus drew in sharp breath; what if Eli got hurt? His fears were unfounded however, and at the last few feet, ten feet above the ground, Eli caught the watch and banked steeply upwards, the end of the broom lightly brushing the ground.

"Go Eli!" Albus yelled in amazement. He was extremely relieved that Eli hadn't crashed.

Tyson flew towards Eli, looking furious. "What the bloody hell were you thinking?" he demanded, his hazel eyes flashing. "You could have been hurt! You could have broken your bones! You barely have any experience and trying to catch a small golden… watch… from a hundred feet… in the air…" Tyson trailed off, staring off into space.

"I'm sorry," Eli said, ashamed. He was startled by Tyson's sudden, exultant laugh.

"_Sorry?_" Tyson exclaimed. "No big deal, it was only a watch! But on the other hand here, I just found myself an _ace_ Seeker!"

Albus saw Eli's eyes widen in surprise and awe. "Really?" he stammered. "Me? A Seeker?"

"Yes!" Tyson exclaimed, delighted. "I should be absolutely miffed that you did something so dangerous, but you have the skills of a true Seeker. So, will you accept? Will you take on the mantle of Gryffindor's new Seeker?"

"Yes," Eli said, grinning. "I'll do it!"

All of the Gryffindors at the pitch cheered, including Albus.

"Alright, I will now be announcing this year's roster!" Tyson said, calling everybody over to the center of the pitch. "Our Seeker is–wait a moment, I forgot to ask you your name!" Tyson looked at Eli abashedly.

"It's Eli Morzel." Eli said.

"And yours?" Tyson asked Albus.

"Albus Potter." Albus responded.

"Another Potter?" Tyson said. "So you must be James' brother." Albus nodded in affirmation.

"Okay, so our Seeker is Eli; our Chasers are James, Lara and Albus; our Beaters are Daniel and Thomas, and I am your Keeper." Tyson announced. "Thank you all for trying out today! For those who didn't qualify, don't give up, keep practicing, and try again next year!"

On that note, everybody filed out of the pitch to go to the change rooms, returning the brooms on the way. As Albus pulled off his Quidditch robes and put on his school robes, he said to Eli earnestly, "Eli, mate, it's totally awesome that you're the new Seeker! Now we're on the same team and everything!"

Eli laughed and replied, "I know, I was shocked–I didn't think I had it in me! It was only luck that I became the Seeker though; when I knocked Tyson's watch off of his wrist, I just wanted to save it before it landed on the ground and broke."

"And it's a good thing you did, too." Albus replied. "If you just stood there in shock I bet Tyson would have blown a gasket, kicked you out, and banned you from future tryouts!"

They both laughed, and left the change rooms, heading back into the castle. The sun was high up in the blue sky now, glaringly bright; the wind was rustling through the dry branches of the trees, and the far off shouts and conversations of the students could be heard.

"I reckon it's almost time for lunch now." Eli commented, lifting his eyes up, and squinting as he looked at the sun's position. "Let's head back to the Common Room and put away our Quidditch robes."

Albus nodded in assent, and followed Eli to the Gryffindor Tower on the seventh floor.

"Password?" The Fat Lady enquired as they approached.

"Vanilla Twilight," Albus responded, while thinking, _what a nonsensical phrase!_

The Fat Lady's portrait swung open and they climbed in, bumping into Rose, who was about to exit.

"Heading to the Great Hall for lunch?" Albus asked Rose.

"Yes I am; how was Quidditch tryouts?" Rose asked Eli and Albus.

Eli looked at Albus, indicating that he should answer.

"It was great!" Albus exclaimed happily. "I made Chaser, and Eli is our team's new Seeker!"

Rose shot Eli a look of surprise. "You're the new Seeker?" she asked, but before Eli could respond, she said, "Well, congratulations to you both!"

"Thank you," Albus said as Eli did the same. "I'll see you later at the Great Hall."

"Bye," Rose said, waving at the two of them as she left the Common Room, the portrait swinging shut.

After they went to the dormitories and stowed away their robes, they left Gryffindor Tower, and proceeded back down towards the Great Hall. When they were on the fifth floor, Eli suddenly paled and said, "Oh no! I forgot to give my essay to Professor McGonagall!" Eli had forgotten to bring his essay on Animagus Theory to Transfiguration the day before, and Professor McGonagall had ordered him to bring it on Saturday.

"Go get it then," Albus said. "I'll go on ahead to the Great Hall; join me after you're done, okay?"

"Yup, see you later!" Eli said as he dashed off back to Gryffindor Tower.

Albus shook his head in mock exasperation, and continued to the Great Hall by himself. He joined Rose and Lily, as usual, who greeted Albus.

"Where's Eli?" Lily asked innocently, tilting her head slightly. "Isn't he always with you?"

Albus lifted his eyebrow slightly and asked teasingly, "Why do you want to know?"

Lily blushed and stammered, "W-Well, he's always with you, like I said! I just thought it was weird that he isn't here with you now."

"Sure," Albus laughed, "Anyway, he forgot to hand in Professor McGonagall's essay and he's just doing that now."

As lunch progressed however, there was no sign of Eli, and Albus was growing worried.

"Eli should be back by now," Albus commented, looking around the Great Hall as if hoping Eli would appear. "It's been almost a quarter hour."

"You're right," commented Rose. "The Transfiguration Courtyard isn't that far from here; it's about a five minute walk."

"I'd better go find him; he might have gotten lost or something." Albus said half-jokingly, standing up.

"Alright," Lily replied. "See you later."

"See you," Rose said as well.

* * *

Albus walked through the school, his eyes scanning the corridors, hoping to find Eli somewhere. There was no sign of him anywhere on the way to the Transfiguration Courtyard. As Albus crossed the courtyard to go to Professor McGonagall's classroom, he gazed at the foot of the Astronomy Tower, where Dumbledore, the most revered headmaster, had died. He thought about the stories his father had told him about Dumbledore–how he was the most powerful wizard since Merlin, and had ultimately helped his father bring about the downfall of Voldemort. Nobody was afraid of uttering Voldemort's name anymore. His legacy had been reduced to a joke; The-Man-Who-Let-The-Boy-Live–one of Voldemort's prevalent nicknames–was an example of this.

Albus was broken out of his thoughts by shouts at the far end of the courtyard. His head snapped upwards, and he saw three people with their wands drawn; two of them fighting against one. With a jolt, Albus recognized Eli, Scorpius, and the Slytherin boy that had taken an interest to Mirah. A wave of fury broke over him–they were attacking Eli, and two against one nonetheless, which was a cowardly act, and–

_That's the bloody Slytherin that was looking at Mirah!_ Albus exclaimed angrily. _Those cowards, attacking Eli when he's clearly outnumbered!_

"_Expelliarmus!_" Albus yelled, pointing his wand at the Slytherin boy, who noticed him at the last second, and dove out of the way.

"Come to join your blood traitor pal?" Scorpius sneered at him, "Come to join your filthy, mudblood and muggle sympathizing friend?"

"What the bloody hell's wrong with you?" Albus yelled furiously. "There's nothing wrong with that, and you two are _cowards_ for attacking him when it's two against one!"

"Well, it's pretty even now," the Slytherin boy said smoothly, his blue eyes regarding Albus disdainfully. "_Stupefy!_"

Albus dove out of the way of the jet of red light, sending a "_Petrificus Totalus!_" in retaliation, which the Slytherin boy blocked with a Shield Charm.

Scorpius then sent a Disarming Charm towards Eli, which was blocked by his Shield Charm. Albus concentrated solely on the Slytherin boy, firing off hexes and curses one after another, robes swishing as they weaved and ducked around the battling pair.

"_Incendio!_" Albus roared, sending a stream of bright orange flames towards his opponent.

"_Aguamenti!_" the Slytherin boy yelled back, sending a spray of water to douse the flames in midair.

"Maxien, that's pathetic!" Scorpius said, sending a Stunner at Eli, who ducked out of the way. "I thought you Zabini's were supposed to be _good_ at duelling?"

"Shut up, Scorpius," Maxien snarled, pushing his black hair out of his eyes. "I can say the same for your abilities; we should have beaten the twerp as soon as you cast the first spell."

"_Confringo!_" yelled Eli, pointing his wand at the ground underneath Scorpius and Maxien's feet, which immediately exploded in a cloud of dirt and grass, throwing them off their feet.

"_Diffindo!_" Maxien said, slashing his wand at Albus, who yelled in pain as a shallow cut appeared on his face.

"_Impedimenta!_" Scorpius yelled, knocking Eli off his feet as well. Albus hurried to help Eli up. As he did so, both Scorpius and Maxien got up as well. They faced each other, glaring, with their wands pointed at each other.

"Both of you are pathetic," Albus said furiously, with a sneer worthy of a Slytherin. "Even you, Zabini, with your choice in girls."

"You think Mirah is pathetic?" Maxien growled, affronted.

Albus paused, thrown off by Maxien's remark. He only seemed to care that Albus had apparently insulted Mirah. _He actually seems to actually care about someone other than himself,_ Albus thought, his heart sinking. _If he really means it, he might actually be competition._

"No, not Mirah," Albus responded evenly. "_You._ You, a _Slytherin_, think you can date a Ravenclaw? You'd be better off breeding with your own kind."

Scorpius snarled in fury at the affront to Slytherins, and a dark cloud flashed over Maxien's eyes. "_Incarcer-_" he began to yell, but–

"Malfoy!" a voice barked. "Morzel, Potter and Zabini!"

All four boys, heart sinking, turned to see Professor McGonagall striding furiously towards them. "Explain yourselves! Duelling in the middle of lunch hour, disrupting the peace and quiet!"

Albus' immediate reaction was to explain. "We were only defending ourselves!" he protested. "Those two Slytherins attacked Eli; it was two against one when I found them!"

Professor McGonagall glowered at them, but switched her gaze to Scorpius and Maxien. "Is this true?" she demanded.

"But Professor–" Scorpius started, his pale face gleaming with sweat and his silver eyes wide with fear.

"No buts!" Professor McGonagall said to the two Slytherins, nostrils flaring. "This sort of behaviour is not to be condoned, under _any_ circumstances. Ten points from Slytherin from each of you, and I will be talking to Professor Slughorn. I will personally see to it that he gives you a week of detention each! Now out! Get to the Great Hall immediately!"

The two Slytherins departed hastily, afraid of any additional punishments that Professor McGonagall might give out.

"And you two," Professor McGonagall said sternly, "You two should have reported this to me as soon as it happened! Albus, when you saw Eli being attacked, why didn't you tell me straight away?"

Excuses ran through Albus' head. A large reason of why he had chosen to help Eli by attacking Maxien instead was because he wanted revenge for his interest in Mirah, but he couldn't tell Professor McGonagall that. Instead he simply hung his head and said, "I'm sorry professor; I wasn't thinking straight."

"Of course you weren't." Albus could have sworn he saw Professor McGonagall smile a little bit. "Always like your father, headstrong and rushing into situations. I will be taking five points from Gryffindor from each of you. Now get to lunch, boys!"

"Yes, professor," Albus said.

"Yes, professor," Eli repeated.

Together, the two boys went back to the Great Hall, relieved that they weren't given a week's detention as well.

"At least you handed in your essay," Albus commented.

"Yes, but I doubt Professor McGonagall will give me even an 'E' now!" Eli laughed, as they entered the Great Hall.

* * *

**~*REVIEW!*~**


	11. Chapter 10: Death in a Mask

A/N: Hey again everybody... Chapter Ten is finally up! Sorry it took so long, as Ravenclaw's Redhead has been asking for this chapter for a while.  
And again, just like the last chapter, this is exceptionally long, with 5000 or so words!  
It's also filled with exciting stuff... Halloween... costume shopping... DEATH EATERS ZOMGWTFBBQ!!!

Anyway, I'm tired of asking for reviews since nobody gives me any, so whatever.  
If you can't even just move your mouse a couple of pixels and click that review button, then maybe whatever reviews you do give are pretty useless.

Review or don't review; I don't really care anymore.

* * *

Chapter Ten – Death in a Mask

"Do not fail us now, Seipp." A harsh, commanding voice came from the hooded figure. The man opposite to him, also hooded, looked respectfully at the shadowy figure through his mask. They stood in a clearing somewhere in a dark, foggy forest, full of young trees but thick with them, the moonlight flickering through the masses of branches above. "You understand the consequence if this mission does not succeed."

"Yes, I know," The man answered, fingering his wand as he thought about the plan.

"Two weeks–that is how long you will have to carry out the task. Two weeks is your deadline; the time for our plan to be put into action." The hooded figure continued, and his voice suddenly filled with anger. "We shall have vengeance upon those filthy children that dare walk the halls of Hogwarts; blood traitors and mudbloods are disgusting, and they are the worst blood traitor family there is."

"Understood," The man replied shortly, and gave out the parting words, "Even in death may he be triumphant." With those words, he turned to leave, walking out of the clearing and Disapparating with a _crack_.

* * *

Almost a month had passed since the duel with Scorpius and Maxien. September had given way to October, and now the month was drawing to a close. Meanwhile, Albus and Eli were seated at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall with Rose and Lily at dinnertime. Professor McGonagall was making an announcement.

"As you all know," Professor McGonagall said, looking at the mass of students seated below, "It is nearing the end of October, and this means the traditional Halloween feast, which will take place in two weeks." She was interrupted by the cheering of the students, and conversation broke out, discussing which costumes they would wear. Professor McGonagall raised a hand to quiet everybody down.

When the Great Hall was silent again, Professor McGonagall continued, "You are all, of course, encouraged to wear costumes to the feast. Creativity is encouraged; however, I implore all of you to refrain from scaring anyone too badly. Madam Pomfrey has enough things on her hands without the addition of a couple of traumatized students." Here, she flicked a glance at James, who put on an innocent expression.

"Additionally, we will be doing something new: we will be holding a masquerade on Halloween, so you all are encouraged to bring dates. We will also be bringing in entertainment for your enjoyment." Professor McGonagall tried her best to look disapproving here; suggesting that anybody who made things get out of hand would be severely punished.

Conversation broke out again, and this time Albus detected a tone of nervousness in many of the voices all around him ("I can't get a date!" he heard Lawrence moan from halfway down the table).

"Quiet please!" Professor McGonagall commanded. "My last note to you will be for you to enjoy yourselves and to look forward to this Halloween. Now without further ado, you may begin your dinner."

At her words, the table was suddenly burdened with great heaping piles of food, magically transported from the kitchens below. As conversation broke out again, Albus helped himself to a piece of shepherd's pie.

"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Lily squealed, bouncing up and down on the bench. "I can't wait to dress up for Halloween! I'll be a... Death Eater!" She laughed.

Albus and Eli looked at Lily incredulously. "A Death Eater?" Albus said. "You'd better be joking, sis."

"Yeah, I am," Lily admitted. "I have no idea what I'm going to wear! I should have gone to Hogsmeade weeks ago to buy a costume!"

"I'll be a mummy or something," Eli said pensively. "Or maybe whatever else I can think of. Hey, tell you what," he grinned at Lily, "Pick a costume and I'll match you."

Lily blushed and giggled unwillingly. Albus knew that she hated acting like a little girl, and that included excessive giggling. "Maybe I'll dress up as a ballerina!" she said, her eyes flashing wickedly.

"I can see it now," Rose interjected, with a smirk on her face. "Eli... wearing tights and a tutu."

The four all broke out laughing at the thought, Eli himself included. Eli leaned over and gave Lily a small kiss on the cheek, making her blush and turn red. They had officially gotten together with each other a week ago; Eli had finally asked Lily out after they had shamelessly flirted with each other for almost a whole month. Albus still felt weird about Eli kissing her sister, but Eli understood and only kissed Lily on the cheek when they were all together as a group.

"Charming," Albus smirked. "Tomorrow's Saturday, and it's a Hogsmeade weekend, so we can go shopping for Halloween costumes. We should check out Zonko's and see what they have."

"Good idea," Rose agreed. "You don't want to leave it too late, anyway."

Saturday came, and the group found themselves in Zonko's. Lawrence and Norvel, who were Halloween fanatics, had already bought their costumes a month in advance, so they had politely declined the group's offer to join them and went to The Three Broomsticks instead. Zonko's was already decorated for Halloween; real, live bats fluttered near the ceiling, and cobwebs with actual spiders were everywhere. It seems as if the proprietors of Zonko's had hired a couple of hags and ghosts for assistants as well.

"Wow, they've really outdone themselves, Zonko's has." Albus commented. "So, any ideas for costumes?"

"How about that lion one over there?" Eli asked, pointing at a rack full of animal costumes. The lion costume looked big and fierce. "You'll be really a Gryffindor with that thing on."

"Yeah, and so will everybody else who will probably buy it for that reason." Lily quipped. "You'd be much better off in a tutu, trust me." She smirked at Eli, who turned red. They moved on to other shelves and racks, checking out Zonko's varieties of costumes.

"I think I want this one," Albus said pensively, plucking a costume ("One size fits all!" a tag on the costume proclaimed.) from a rack of dragon costumes. It had realistic looking scales, and the slitted pupils within the bright purple eyes on the mask looked alive. It had dark, rough, black scales, ridges along its back, and the tail that hung from the costume was tipped with an arrow-shaped spike. "What do you think this dragon is?"

"That's a Hebridean Black," Rose said immediately out of habit. Albus shot a grin at her, and raised an eyebrow as if to say sarcastically, "No, really?"

"That's our Rosie!" Lily chirped with a grin, "Always knowing everything!"

Rose shot Lily a glare at her use of her hated nickname, but decided against hexing her. "I think I'll get this phoenix costume," she said, pulling it off of her rack. It was dark red with streaks of orange running through the feathers. The mask, from which a golden, hooked beak extruded, had eyes which looked as if they were filled with flames. "It sort of matches my hair, don't you think?"

"It certainly does," Albus admitted, comparing the colors. "My Hebridian Black costume is still pretty cool though."

"I want to go as a fairy!" Lily exclaimed, a silver glittering costume catching her eye. It had folded translucent wings on the back.

"But... it sparkles," Eli protested with a groan. "And I hate sparkling vamp – er, fairy costumes. Why not try on this dark fairy costume?" He removed a costume from the rack; it was a sinister looking ensemble, with obsidian, glowing wings on the back of a dark robe, complete with a tiara made of what looked to be opals.

"Hmm... alright." Lily conceded, holding it up against herself. "But you'll have to match me!"

"Of course," Eli responded, grabbing another costume from the rack. This one resembled Lily's chosen costume, with a dark robes, except the wings looked as if they belonged to some big, black bird of prey, and it came with a spindly looking jet-black crown. "How's this?"

"Perfect," Lily said happily, giving Eli a hug. Albus glanced at Rose, and saw her looking at the couple strangely. He thought he knew what was wrong with her.

"So Rose," Albus began casually, "Have you a date yet? Halloween is in a week."

Rose blushed, which was quite unlike her. "No, I haven't... although..."

"Although what?" Eli asked curiously.

"Never mind," Rose said quickly, shaking her head.

Albus wondered what Rose was going to say, but let the matter drop.

"Got everything you want then, dearies?" A hag cackled from behind them. Her face was a dirty green, and her nose was crooked. Long, filthy and stringy grey hair framed the hag's face. "Ready to pay?"

"Er, yes," Albus said, taken aback by the suddenness of the hag's appearance. "Yes, please."

The hag led them to the counter, where they pooled all their money to pay for the costumes, which amounted to a total of fifty three galleons, two sickles and seven knuts.

"Thank you for your purchase," A middle aged man with blonde hair and an easy going smile said to them, as he magically put all their purchases in separate bags. "A pleasure doing business with you, kids."

The group all chorused their thank yous, and left to go back to Hogwarts.

As they went back to school, the chilly atmosphere of the afternoon making them shiver slightly, they walked past a group of about fifteen Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, who were headed back towards the castle as well.

"–were you doing over there anyway?" Albus heard a Ravenclaw boy ask. "I thought you were going to buy a butterbeer? Did you forget to get one or something?" Albus glanced at the speaker, who turned out to be a fourth year boy with short brown hair.

"I decided I wasn't that thirsty," Albus heard a Hufflepuff reply. He was a short fourth year, with dark red hair. "So I headed back here. Anyway, we should get back to Hogwarts; we got lots of er, homework to do."

"Homework?" he heard the Ravenclaw boy ask. "Since when have _you_ cared about homework? You're the one that always forgets to do it."

"Y-yeah well," the Hufflepuff stammered, "My mum's been hounding me because of my bad grades. She threatened to snap my wand if I got another T."

The group of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws all laughed at this. Albus, Eli, Lily and Rose walked in silence behind them, listening to the group of fourth years joke around good naturedly. As they got back inside Hogwarts, the Hufflepuffs made to follow the Ravenclaws, but the same Ravenclaw boy with short brown hair suddenly asked, "Why are you coming along with us? Your common room is that way." He pointed downwards towards the direction of the Hufflepuff common room, near the kitchens.

"Oh right," one of the Hufflepuffs laughed. "We must be pretty tired out. Anyway, see you ki – guys later."

"See you," the Ravenclaws responded, and they split up.

As Albus, Eli, Lily and Rose went back up towards the Gryffindor Tower, Albus turned to the group and remarked, "Those Hufflepuffs were acting a bit weird, weren't they?"

"I don't know," Lily responded, "I wasn't really paying attention to them."

"They've never been the brightest lot," Eli remarked. "Always simple minded, and content with the small things."

"Eli!" Rose reprimanded. "You can't talk about people like that!"

"What?" Eli retorted, "I'm just saying the truth."

Rose and Eli bickered all the way to the portrait of the Fat Lady, although they weren't really angry at each other; rather, they did it for the enjoyment of arguing.

"Password?" The Fat Lady enquired.

"Hallows," Albus said loudly, cutting through Eli and Rose's bickering.

* * *

"You're a lucky bloke, you know that?" Albus said enviously to Eli. "You don't even need to find a date; you have my sister, but I have to go through the ordeal of asking out a girl!"

"Just go ask Mirah," Eli grinned, "I'm sure she'll enjoy turning you down."

"Oh, shut it," Albus snapped half-heartedly. "You're right though; I don't have a snowball's chance in Hell with her."

"You're not that bad," Eli reassured Albus. "As long as you pluck up the courage, you can do it."

The rest of the week was spent torturously, with Albus trying to find the courage to ask Mirah to the Halloween masquerade, but he never did–he never felt like he could; not in front of all his classmates. He resorted to dogging Mirah in between classes, hoping that he would find her alone, and then ask her, but she was always with a couple of her friends, laughing loudly or talking animatedly with them.

By the end of the week, Albus was getting desperate; it was almost the weekend, and he still hadn't done it. Halloween was on Monday, a mere three days away, and he wouldn't see Mirah that much on weekends. It was either now, or never.

While they were in Defence Against the Dark Arts, Albus began talking with Mirah. During a lull in conversation, he took a deep breath, and began, "Mirah–"

"Yes?" she asked, turning her bluish-grey eyes to Albus. "What is it?"

"I–I... Do you..." Albus' resolve suddenly failed him here. He closed his mouth, and shook his head in defeat. "Never mind."

Mirah looked at Albus for a few seconds, then shrugged and said, "Alright then."

Albus miserably resumed practicing the Blasting Spell, attempting to blow up a straw dummy. A couple times he thought he saw Mirah's eyes flickering towards him, but she said nothing to him for the rest of the lesson.

"Time's up, class!" Professor Bulwark called out a while later. "Now, since Halloween is on Monday, I'll be doing something special with you. I'm going to be introducing you to a creature none of you have probably seen before! Have a good weekend everybody!"

As Albus walked to his next class, he felt worse than ever. That was it; he had lost his final chance to ask Mirah to go to the Halloween masquerade with him. Not even Eli, who had noticed what happened, could cheer him up.

* * *

"Oi, Cherylyn," Albus called out half-heartedly to a girl who was sitting on a couch by the fireplace. She had long, auburn hair, hazel eyes, and what could be described as a pretty face. Cherylyn wasn't in many of his classes, but they both got along amicably.

Cherylyn looked up from the couch and the newspaper she was reading. "Yeah?" she asked.

"D'you..." Albus began, almost losing his nerve again. "Do you have a date for the Halloween masquerade?"

Cherylyn giggled and said, "No, why? Are you going to ask me to go with you?"

_I've got nothing to lose,_ Albus thought. _Besides, Cherylyn is an okay friend, and she'll be good company._

"Yes, I am," Albus said out loud. "So, will you?"

Cherylyn laughed and said, "Sure, I'll go with you."

Albus brightened a little bit. "Great! Thanks, Cheryl." He bade her goodnight, and went up to the boy's dormitories. Eli was already there, reading a book while perched on his bed.

"I got a date," Albus announced to Eli.

Eli looked up interestedly. "Oh? With whom?" he asked.

"Cherylyn," Albus replied. "She's in our Charms class, in case you don't know her."

"Why didn't you ask Mirah?" Eli inquired.

Albus' shoulders slumped slightly. "I couldn't do it," he said, hanging his head. "For all the good Gryffindor's courage has given me... I should be in Hufflepuff."

"You couldn't ask Mirah out, but you could ask Cherylyn," Eli said jokingly, raising an eyebrow. Albus glared at him miserably. "You don't want to be nutters like the Hufflepuffs though, trust me."

* * *

Halloween arrived, and the atmosphere during classes was noticeably filled with excitement. Not even the Nundu, a gigantic, ferocious, gray feline the size of a donkey that Professor Bulwark showed them in Defence Against the Dark Arts did much to distract them; it only worked for a few minutes before the class started chatting again, causing Professor Bulwark to lose his patience, tell the class to shut their traps, and assign them a two foot long essay on the habitats and mating rituals of Nundus.

As it approached the time for the Halloween feast, Albus donned his Hebridean Black dragon costume, and slipped the mask on over his face. Whatever magic in the costume caused it to fit Albus perfectly, and he could see just fine through the eyes on the mask. Albus found that he could also control the tail if he wanted to, just by thinking about how he wanted it to move. Otherwise, it just trailed along behind him. Eli and Lily were down in the common room already, putting on their costumes together.

"Shall we go?" Albus asked as he approached Cherylyn, who was wearing an elegant white gown, and a delicate porcelain mask which covered her face. It gave her an austere, creepy effect. Cherylyn's hazel eyes widened behind her mask and she exclaimed, "Oh, nice dragon costume, Albus!"

"Thanks," Albus grinned, making the ridged tail wrap around himself. "Your costume is scarier though; it's just something about the mask..."

The Halloween feast was an exciting affair; instead of the food magically appearing all at once on the plates, there was a menu on top of each of the student's plates. The menu consisted of gruesome sounding food such as Bloody Intestines, Vile Vultures and Crushed Brains. Apart from looking repulsed by the disgusting sounding food, the most of the students were also confused as to how to order the food. Some of them were apparently looking around, wondering if there were waiters who were supposed to serve them. Albus, however, knew what to do, as his dad had told him about a feast similar to this one.

Albus picked up the menu, cleared his throat and said loudly, "Bloody Intestines!" Immediately, a serving of spaghetti covered with tomato sauce and meatballs appeared on his plate. The others around him saw what he did and followed suit. Soon, everybody was happily eating. The menu item, Vile Vulture turned out to be barbecued chicken, and Crushed Brains turned out to be simply mashed potatoes with gravy.

"So," Eli commented, "Not bad, right? Hogwarts has outdone itself."

And so it had. It seemed as if every inch of Hogwarts had been decorated with Halloween related decorations; large spiders ran across the walls, bats fluttered amidst glowing pumpkins which could talk, hanging suspended from the ceiling, cackling evilly, and the candle flames all glowed green.

"Not bad yourself," Albus grinned at Eli. "You two look pretty good. A right evil pair, you are."

Eli and Lily looked at each other, adorned in their dark fairy costumes, evaluating themselves from head to toe, and laughed.

"Yeah, thanks Albus." Lily answered. "It's a shame the professors didn't dress up, though."

The professors at the table were dressed normally, albeit in more formal cloaks, but they looked like they were enjoying themselves nonetheless.

"Hogwart's professors are old," Rose sniffed, "and are above dressing up so ridiculously."

Albus looked at Rose, adorned in her phoenix costume, with her mask on the side of her face and dishevelled hair, and burst out laughing. "We all look pretty ridiculous; it's Halloween after all."

"Hey Rose," Cherylyn asked suddenly, "Who's your date? You're not with anybody."

Rose blushed and said uncertainly, "I don't think I can tell you."

"Why, is it because you don't have one?" Eli teased, his light blue eyes flashing wickedly.

"Oh, shut up," Rose responded, but with a smile. "Of course I have a date."

"So who is it?" Albus asked curiously.

"Er..." Rose began, sounding nervous. "I don't quite know how to say this... and I don't know if you'll approve..."

"Oh, just get on with it!" Lily shrieked, causing Rose to jump.

"It's Scorpius Malfoy," Rose said all in one breath.

There was a shocked silence for a few moments, and then Albus burst out angrily saying, "Scorpius Malfoy?! Why in the name of Merlin would you go out with a filthy Slytherin like him?!"

Rose glared at him and said, "I think he's an okay person. I think the only reason he's so mean towards you is because he hates you and Eli so much. But other than that, he's been pretty decent to me. He asked me at the library yesterday."

"Oh," Lily said, her mouth still open in shock, but she was the first to recover. "Well, as long as you think he's okay, then he's okay! Right, Albus? Eli?" She shot a glare at both of them, challenging them to disagree.

"Right," Albus agreed quickly. He knew how Lily could be when she was really mad, and he didn't want to go through that again.

"Of course," Eli said, swooping down and kissing Lily on the top of her head.

Lily smiled, resting her head against Eli's shoulder. Eli drew her in close, wrapping one arm around her. They all let the matter drop, returning to their meal.

About two hours later, everybody was just about full, and conversation was dying down. Professor McGonagall took this as a cue, and stepped forward.

"I'm pleased to see that all of you have happily eaten." Professor McGonagall said. "Now is the time for the Halloween masquerade to begin, and as promised, we have provided entertainment for Hogwarts. I am happy to introduce... the Hollow Halos!"

As soon as Professor McGonagall said those words, she clapped once, and the lights changed color to a dim purple. Spotlights danced around the teachers' platform as Professor Flitwick Vanished the table to clear the stage for a group of musicians who ran on, dressed in large, black cloaks billowing around them, their instruments blaring. The students all cheered excitedly; the Hollow Halos were a popular band for young teenagers, famous for their throbbing bass and blaring electric guitars, which Albus supposed were all powered by magic.

"Come on, let's go dance," Cherylyn said excitedly, putting on her mask and pulling Albus by the hand towards an area which the teachers had cleared, near the stage. Albus watched as Scorpius, dressed as a prince of some sort, approached Rose, his pale blonde hair glowing in the purple light. He bowed to her, and took her hand, sweeping her onto the dance floor. A couple of songs later, Albus found Cherylyn in his arms, both of them dancing to a slow song.

"This isn't so bad," Cherylyn giggled, looking up at Albus.

Albus smiled at Cherylyn and responded, "No, it's not bad at all; in fact, I'm–"

But what Albus was about to say stopped dead in his throat, for at that moment, he caught sight of Maxien... _dancing with Mirah_, with his arms around her waist. There was no mistaking the short, cropped black hair and light brown skin. He was in an elegant costume, resembling the Lords of old. Mirah was dressed in a bright blue gown, with yellow wings the color of sunshine protruding from the back. To Albus, she had never looked more radiant and beautiful... but she was with _Maxien_.

"Albus?" Cherylyn said worriedly, seeing the stricken look upon Albus' face. "What's wrong?"

Albus forced himself to tear his gaze away from the couple, but not without great effort. "I-It's... nothing." Albus managed to say, but at that moment, he felt as though his heart had been dragged through shards of broken glass. "Sorry, I need to go to the... loo. Could you wait for me please? I'll be right back. Sorry." With those words, he left quickly in the direction of the loo, angry tears forming in his eyes.

_It's all your fault!_ Albus yelled inwardly at himself. _If only if you weren't such a bloody coward she wouldn't be with Maxien right now._

Albus let out a growl of frustration, kicking the stone wall angrily.

_I can sense that you're crying. Albus, wipe those tears from your eyes. You should be stronger than that. You're not some lowly filth to give up so easily._

Albus was startled–here was the wand, speaking to him as it hadn't done so for quite a while, although he hadn't realized it until now. He reached up and wiped away his tears with his sleeve.

_I'm such a bloody git,_ Albus thought back at the wand. _I'm... better off dead._

Albus, deep in thought, didn't notice someone walking beside him, until he glanced around. It was a boy, wearing a black cloak with a hood. He recognized him as the Hufflepuff boy with the dark red hair from the week before.

"Hello," the Hufflepuff greeted him. "What are you supposed to be dressed up as?"

"A dragon; a Hebridean Black." Albus answered in a monotone.

As they reached a courtyard inside Hogwarts, the Hufflepuff boy reached inside his cloak, pulled out a mask, and put it on. With a jolt, Albus realized that–

"You're dressed up as a Death Eater!" he exclaimed.

The boy said nothing at first; his eyes only narrowed wickedly. "It's not a smart idea to walk around school by yourself, Potter. With all those students in the Great Hall, if you got lost... nobody would notice."

Five other boys Albus recognized as more Hufflepuffs he saw last week joined them, walking along side Albus silently. He felt a chill go up his spine; adrenaline began pumping throughout his body. Something felt terribly wrong here. He touched his wand inside his cloak for comfort, and it was this which saved him. He heard a whisper, and a sound like the release of compressed air.

"Protego!" Albus yelled instinctively, casting a Shield Charm around himself, forcing the Hufflepuffs backwards. All of them had their wands out, pointing at him. The one who had cast a Blasting Curse towards Albus had to dive out of the way to avoid the rebounded spell.

"What the bloody hell are you playing at?" Albus demanded angrily, pointing his wand wildly in turn at each of the boys, who were standing in a circle around him.

"You'll learn that school isn't all fun and games, Potter." said the Hufflepuff boy with dark red hair. "You're up to your head with filth, you and your blood traitor family."

"How do you know the Blasting Curse?" Albus demanded. "You're a fourth year! You're not supposed to learn that until the fifth year! What do you have against blood traitors, anyway? You're Hufflepuffs!"

"Of course, nobody would suspect Hufflepuffs of being up to no good," the boy continued. "That's why we kidnapped them."

"Kidnapped them? What are you talking about?" Albus asked with a growing sense of horror, but he already knew.

"Polyjuice Potion!" the boy exclaimed triumphantly. "It was quite easy, to lure that stupid Hufflepuff away, knock him out, and then transform into him. After that, we got the rest easily." He gestured to the other boys around him, who were also wearing Death Eater costumes, which Albus realized were not costumes at all.

"What did you do with them?!" Albus shouted angrily. "You can't just go around hurting people and knocking them out!"

"Oh, be grateful we didn't do worse with them." the boy said in a cold voice. "As it is, we need their hairs for the Polyjuice Potion, so we cannot kill them."

"But–" Albus began, but the boy interrupted angrily.

"Enough talking! We came here to get rid of you blood traitors; the family that brought about the downfall of the Dark Lord! After you, everyone else in your family is next! _Reducto! Incarcerous!_"

The Reductor Curse shattered Albus' shield, and he found himself bound by ropes, unable to move. He struggled fiercely, but he couldn't get free. He was hauled roughly into an empty classroom, and stuck with a Sticking Charm to the wall, his dragon mask ripped off of his face.

"This is for the Dark Lord!" The boy hissed, as his features began to bubble and melt. "_Crucio!_"

Albus' body was on fire; he was feeling pain like he had never felt before. His body jerked uncontrollably against the cold wall of the classroom, and he heard somebody screaming, and then he realized it was _him_ who was screaming. The pain seemed to go on forever. When he was finally released from the Cruciatus Curse, he looked up, gasping, every muscle in his body sore, into the face of the boy–now a tall man with short brown hair and cruel black eyes which were visible behind the Death Eater mask. The Death Eater spoke. "Nobody will find you now. We will kill you slowly... _Crucio!_"

As fresh pain blossomed in Albus' body yet again, he thought resignedly, _This is it... I'm going to die here... tonight..._


	12. Chapter 11: The First Battle

A/N: Hey guys and gals, WaylaidWanderer here. This is the author's note for this chapter. Thank you all for reading this; I really appreciate it, y'know?  
If you've just joined me and you are reading this story for the first time... please, please read the proceeding chapters as well! It would mean a lot to me!

I'd also like to thank TooManyHobbiesToList123 for everything. She's been there for me when nobody else was. Love you loads!  
So, read her awesomesauce stories too if you've got the time!

That said, review if you want, mkay? Thanks!

* * *

Chapter Eleven – The First Battle

Rose was exhausted. She had just been dancing in Scorpius' arms. Countless songs later, and her throat dry from constantly shouting over the loud music, she asked Scorpius to get her a drink, to which he complied. As Scorpius left, Rose slumped down on a chair beside a distraught Cherylyn.

"What's wrong, Cheryl?" Rose asked immediately, seeing Cherylyn's worried expression.

"I'm worried about Albus… we were dancing to a slow song when he suddenly looked shocked, and hurt, for some reason. He told me that he had to go to the loo and left really quickly. I haven't seen him for about half an hour." Cherylyn replied.

"He looked shocked?" Rose asked inquisitively. "Do you know why?"

"I'm not sure," Cherylyn admitted, "After he left, I glanced over at where he was looking when he… well, yeah… and the only people I saw were Maxien and Mirah. I suppose whatever surprised him must have already gone."

Rose said nothing for a while, but she was thinking quickly–Albus had seen Maxien dancing with Mirah, and knowing, or suspecting how deep Albus' feelings were for Mirah, deduced that he had probably been very hurt at seeing the two together, and left to calm himself down. And knowing Albus, he would have gone to the Transfiguration Courtyard… but if what Cherylyn said was true, he had been gone for almost half an hour, and that was far too long.

Coming to a conclusion, Rose said calmly–she had learned that it didn't do any good to panic in the face of danger–while thinking of a plan, "Something must be wrong. It never takes Albus this long to calm down; he's probably in trouble. Come on, we have to warn Eli and Lily."

The two left their seats as another slow song started, fighting through the tide of people on the dance floor, looking for the couple. They found Eli and Lily near the center of the dance floor, arms around each other, swaying slowly to the beat. Rose found the sight so endearing–Lily was her favourite cousin, and they were as close as sisters–she almost didn't have the heart to break them apart. But if she was right, Albus was probably in trouble, so she had no choice since she knew they would want to know if something happened to Albus.

"Eli, Lily!" she hissed at them. "We have to go find Albus; I think he's in trouble!"

Eli and Lily looked at her in surprise, but they didn't question Rose. They knew from experience that her intelligence was a force to be reckoned with, and thus she was usually correct about her assumptions.

"Let's go," Eli ordered, taking Lily by the hand and leading all of them out of the Great Hall. They were stopped by Scorpius when they were just about to reach the massive double doors.

"Where are you heading off to?" Scorpius asked Rose curiously, holding two butterbeers, not a trace of disdain in his voice.

"None of your business," Eli retorted coolly, before Rose could answer.

Scorpius said nothing for a moment, but his cheeks were tinged pink with fury. "It's my business if you're going to put Rose in danger with any of your foolish schemes as usual." he drawled in an equally cool voice.

"Scorpius! Eli!" Rose snapped angrily. "Albus is in danger, so stop your bickering!"

Setting down the two goblets of butterbeer, Scorpius lifted an eyebrow at this statement, and said, "Potter is in danger? Well then, I'd better come along, seeing as how you lot always get mixed up into his messes."

Eli was about to argue, but decided against it. Time was of essence if Albus really was in danger. "Fine," he said, and then to Rose, "Where is he?"

"Most likely the Transfiguration Courtyard," Rose replied.

Eli knew immediately that something had upset Albus. He knew from experience that Albus usually went to the Transfiguration Courtyard to calm down. "What happened?" he asked.

"Albus saw Mirah dancing with Maxien," Rose informed him. She would have liked to keep the details of Albus' love life from Scorpius and Cherylyn, knowing that Albus liked his privacy, but this was no time for beating around the bush.

Scorpius looked surprised. "Potter likes that Selway girl?" he exclaimed.

At Scorpius' words, Cherylyn let out an audible gasp. Rose shot her a glance, but Cherylyn shook her head. "Well, that explains it, at least..." Cherylyn muttered to herself.

"Come _on_," Lily said forcefully, "We gotta go find out what happened!"

"Cherylyn," Rose said, finalizing her plan, "You have to go warn Professor McGonagall about this, just in case."

"Alright," Cherylyn responded, and left in the direction of the Gryffindor Tower.

"Wait!" They heard a voice behind them. Turning around, Eli was surprised to see Maxien, followed by Mirah, who was eyeing them inquisitively. "Where are you going, Scor?"

"Apparently, Potter boy is in trouble," Scorpius responded coolly. "I thought it would be best if someone was there to save his hide."

Scorpius and Maxien exchanged a glance, grey eyes meeting blue, something unspoken passing between them. Maxien gave a curt nod, and said, "Then I will come with you as well."

"Me too," Mirah said, a determined look to her bluish-grey eyes. Lily looked surprised at this, and Rose shot her a suspicious look which was met coolly by Mirah.

"Alright then," Eli decided. "No time to waste; come on!"

The six of them, Rose, Eli, Lily, Scorpius, Maxien and Mirah took off running towards the Transfiguration Courtyard. When they arrived, the courtyard was eerily dim, bathed in the dark blue glow of the night sky, already lit up with twinkling stars. The few trees in the courtyard swished from the wind, but other than the rustling of the leaves, it was utterly silent.

"Albus isn't here," Lily said, scanning the courtyard for any sign of her brother.

"That's not possible," Rose insisted. "I was so sure..."

Eli said nothing, only scanning the courtyard like Lily was doing, worried about the safety of his best friend.

"Wait," Scorpius said calmly, pointing at something. "Look at that classroom."

Rose, Eli, Lily, Maxien and Mirah directed their gazes to the classroom in question, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"I don't see anything," Eli said angrily. "I'd appreciate it if you told us what we're supposed to be looking for."

"The windows," Scorpius drawled, brushing away a lock of blonde hair which had fallen over his eyes. "The doors… look at them, and compare that classroom to the ones beside it."

"The blinds are closed." Rose said at once. "And the door is heavily padlocked."

"Congratulations, Rose." Scorpius responded. "Now I believe we have a Potter to save."

Eli lifted a disbelieving eyebrow at this. Was a Malfoy really suggesting that they save a Potter? It was unheard of.

"Well, come on now," Scorpius said, sounding slightly exasperated, "We haven't got all day!"

They hurried towards the classroom, and Rose performed some detection charms. "There has been a Silencing Charm placed upon the classroom, and the door has been sealed with a Locking Charm."

"Ready?" Eli asked the lot of them. All of them, Scorpius and Maxien included, nodded bravely. "Then let's kick some arse."

* * *

Albus Severus Potter was still screaming. He had been screaming for quite awhile; his throat was raw from the abuse. The Death Eaters had been constantly torturing him, revelling in Albus' pain. A few minutes later, his screams had died down to whimpers... the Cruciatus Curse had been performed on him so many times that his nerve centers, and his body was beginning to shut down. He was perhaps only a few moments away from death, but at that moment, Albus would have gladly welcomed it.

"Aw, this ain't fun no more, Travis," Albus heard a Death Eater with brown eyes, and blonde hair–the tips of which were visible from his hood–whine, through the haze of darkness swirling around in his head. "Can't we just kill him already?"

"Shut up, fool!" Travis Seipp hissed. "No names; what if somebody hears?"

"You've already silenced this classroom," the Death Eater responded mulishly.

"All the same..." Seipp replied, deliberating, "Yes, I think it's time now. Remember, after we kill him, we go after the rest of his family."

Albus felt his face being forcibly tilted upwards, causing him to stare listlessly at the Death Eater named Travis, the one who was responsible for his situation. Albus felt Seipp's wand digging into his throat.

_Any moment now..._ Albus thought to himself. _Then I won't have to feel pain anymore._

"_Ava–_"

Before Seipp could finish his phrase however, Albus heard a loud explosion coming from the door. The door in question shattered, splintering into many pieces. Albus lifted his head weakly, and saw the resolute figures of Rose, Eli, Lily… _Scorpius, Maxien and Mirah_?

"No," Albus croaked at them, his throat hurting from the strain. "Death Eaters… run…"

The Death Eaters and the group alike were both frozen in shock for a moment, not knowing what to do, but then Eli yelled, "_Expelliarmus!_" at Seipp, who deflected the spell with a flick of his wand.

"Foolish…" Seipp hissed dangerously. "But this is a nice surprise. Here, we have another Potter we can kill, served up to us on a silver platter! And… if I'm not mistaken, a Weasley as well. I don't know who you are," he continued, gesturing towards Eli, Scorpius, Maxien and Mirah with his wand, "But all of you will die tonight nonetheless, for what you have seen... and for the blood traitor filths you are."

"We're harder to kill than you think," Scorpius sneered arrogantly. "And I am most certainly _not_ a blood traitor."

Seipp trembled with fury. "How dare you speak to me so insolently!" he snarled. "Die! _Avada Kedavra!_" The jet of green light shot towards Scorpius, who dived aside, the spell missing him by mere centimetres.

"_Stupefy!_" Both Eli and Maxien yelled, coming to Scorpius' aide. The twin jets of red light shot towards, Seipp, who avoided it by ducking. The other Death Eaters took this as a cue, raising their wands, and firing curses and hexes at the group of children.

"_Protego!_" All six of them shouted the spell simultaneously. Six invisible shields expanded and merged into a large barrier, placing Eli, Lily, Scorpius, Maxien, Mirah and most importantly, Albus inside its protection. The fired curses and hexes from the Death Eaters ricocheted off harmlessly, destroying a few tables and chairs, but the four were already feeling the drain from maintaining such a large shield and repelling a multitude of spells.

"This is exhausting," Eli panted, sweat pouring down his face, his dirty blonde hair dishevelled.

"I don't think this shield can hold up much longer," Rose agreed, her chest heaving slightly from the exertion.

Albus could have sworn he heard Maxien mutter, "Pathetic…" but all the same he was also sweating slightly from the effort of maintaining the shield.

"We have to try, though!" Lily said bravely. "If the shield breaks, Albus won't be safe anymore."

Honestly, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy could care less about Albus Severus Potter and whether or not he died, but he didn't want to seem like a coward, and of course, he did not wish to die. So, he tightened his focus on the shield he was casting along with the other five, his hand trembling, already feeling the strain.

They were at a standstill for awhile, the Death Eaters against the Eli, Lily, Rose, Scorpius, Maxien and Mirah; all fighting for Albus' safety.

"The shield's breaking!" Rose exclaimed. Not a few seconds later after she had exclaimed thus, all six of them felt the shield shatter, and the flow from their magic cores to their wands were abruptly cut off.

"_Crucio!_" Seipp screamed in anger, but he wasn't pointing his wand at Albus.

Scorpius suddenly found himself on the floor, writhing in agony, screaming in pain, feeling like white hot needles were being stabbed into every square inch of his body.

"No, stop!" Rose screamed, everybody's eyes drawn to the figure jerking spastically on the floor. "Please… don't hurt him!"

Eli took a different approach to "convince" Seipp to stop. He launched a Blasting Curse towards Seipp, who had to break off the Cruciatus Curse in order to throw up a Shield Charm around himself with the Death Eaters following suit, making the curse explode harmlessly around them.

During all the commotion, Albus had dragged himself back to his feet, supporting himself with a table.

"Stop," Albus panted, his voice still weak and hoarse, but he was heard by all in the classroom. "It's me you want. Kill me instead… and let my friends go."

"Oh, we will be killing you; you have my word." Seipp sneered. "But I'm afraid I can't let your friends go. Not anymore; not after you have seen us. I'll make it torturous for you, Potter. You will get to watch your friends die before you, knowing that your foolishness caused their deaths."

Seipp pointed his wand at Scorpius, and Albus knew that Seipp was about to cast the Killing Curse. He could sense the murderous intention in the Death Eater.

_Only one thing to do…_

"_Avada Kedavra!"_ As the jet of deadly green light soared out towards Scorpius, Albus launched himself, ready to intercept the curse with his body.

"No!" Lily screamed, fearing that her brother was about to die. Even as Lily said those words, she heard a shout of power, although she couldn't hear what the voice had yelled. She watched Albus being blown backwards, away from the path of the Killing Curse. At the same time, the tables and chairs seemed to explode outward, one of them intercepting the Killing Curse instead, before bursting into flames and disintegrating. The rest of the tables and chairs simultaneously knocked the six Death Eaters off of their feet.

The children spun around, to see a fearsome sight. Professor McGonagall entered with her wand out, her emerald coloured cloak billowing around her impressively, followed by Professor Flitwick and Professor Slughorn, both with their wands out as well, and a wide-eyed Cherylyn.

Professor McGonagall was white-faced, both with fury and fear, not of the Death Eaters, but of the safety of her students.

"Albus!" Professor McGonagall said in a stern, albeit slightly shaky voice. "That was a foolish thing to do! Why didn't you banish the tables instead, which would have been much safer?"

Albus looked down, suddenly shamefaced. He hadn't thought about that; the only thing he had been thinking at the time was that somebody was going to die because of him. Perhaps Professor McGonagall understood, as she dropped the matter, turning around to deal with the six momentarily stunned Death Eaters.

"How _dare_ you," Professor McGonagall began, her voice quivering in anger, "How dare you attack seven innocent and helpless children!"

Seipp, the leader of the group of six Death Eaters stood and snarled, "Blood traitors and filth! That's what you have in the halls of Hogwarts! What else can we do but to eradicate the biggest blood traitors here?" Looking behind him and seeing the other five still on the ground, he commanded, "What are you useless lot doing on the ground? Get up!"

The remaining Death Eaters stood, all of them pointing their wands at the teachers, whom they perceived as a bigger threat. None of them did anything, waiting for each other to make the first move. Understandably, it came as a surprise when a Stunning Spell hit one of the Death Eaters in the head, knocking him unconscious. Seipp whirled around to determine the source of the spell, and saw Maxien standing calmly, with his wand out. Infuriated, he launched the Cruciatus Curse at Maxien, who summoned a table to harmlessly absorb the curse.

The Death Eaters and the Professors, along with the students, immediately started attacking each other. Jets of light shot all over the place, hitting stray tables and chairs; none of the spells making contact each other yet, except for a curse sent by Professor McGonagall which seemed to have broken a Death Eater's arm, causing him to scream in pain as he clutched his right arm which was bent at an awkward angle. A Stunning Spell sent by Professor Flitwick knocked him unconscious while he was distracted by the pain.

Professor Flitwick, showing his skills and reputation as a Dueling Champion, then proceeded to launch a barrage of spells at another Death Eater, who threw up a shield which immediately broke under a powerful Reductor Curse. The Death Eater gave up all attempts at defending himself and switched to the offense, firing a number of what were unmistakably Dark curses. Any of them that hit, Albus supposed, would probably cause a lot of pain. Fortunately for Professor Flitwick, none of them landed upon the Death Eater's target, and he was able to cast a spell that broke that Death Eater's wand arm as well, rendering him unable to cast spells with his dominant hand, and therefore weakening him. One Disarming Charm and an _Incarcerous_ later by Professor Slughorn left the Death Eater helpless and bound by ropes on the floor.

Seipp had been ferociously attacking anybody he could, casting mostly the Killing Curse. The children were valiantly trying to protect themselves and the professors, using objects to block the curse whenever necessary, and holding off the Death Eaters as well. Albus however, was growing more frustrated and angry.

_They're trying to kill my friends because of me!_ he thought, berating himself. _I need to end this soon, or else someone might die. So… even though dad told me never to use this spell…_

"_Sectumsempra!_" Albus screamed as he slashed his wand at Seipp, who roared in pain as a deep cut appeared in his chest. He slashed at Seipp's wand arm next, making another deep gash appear, and then had to dive out of the way of multiple Killing Curses aimed at him by the remaining Death Eaters.

"You'll pay for that!" Seipp spat, his wounds slowly pooling with blood.

The professors and Albus' friends glanced at him in shock for a few moments, before returning to the battle at hand. A few well improvised uses of the Severing Charm left multiple cuts on the four Death Eaters.

Scorpius had mostly been in the back of the battle the whole time, attacking if he could but mostly trying to stay out of the way. It was Eli, Lily, Rose, Maxien, Mirah and Albus who was doing most of the attacking.

"_Aguamenti!_" Maxien yelled, dousing the legs and feet of a Death Eater with water. The Death Eater merely laughed in disdain, but his expression immediately turned to surprise as Maxien followed up with a spell which made the water freeze, trapping the Death Eater's legs in a pillar of ice, unable to move. Mirah saw this as an opportunity and shot a powerful Stunning Spell towards the Death Eater, the force of which tore his legs out of the ice and causing him to slam into a nearby wall.

Seipp looked around and saw that they were outnumbered, even though that number consisted of three teachers, and the rest of which were six children. Still, his Death Eaters were weakened, and Seipp himself was still bleeding copiously from the Sectumsempra spell Albus had used. Seipp saw no choice, and gave an order, knowing that his plan had failed.

"Retreat!" Seipp growled in frustration. "Death to you all, blood traitors and filth!"

"Oh, sod off!" Eli yelled at Seipp.

The four standing Death Eaters grabbed the other three Death Eaters who were unable to battle; two unconscious, one wandless and bound by ropes. A Death Eater grabbed his wand for him, and together they Disapparated away from the classroom, and away from Hogwarts.

The battle was over, and the fight was won.

* * *

A/N: Oh my, seems like our eight children and three teachers were more than a match for the six Death Eaters.  
They were expecting an easy mission... kill all the Potters. Sounded easy enough, right?  
Next chapter, we'll have the aftermath of the battle. We get to find out what happened to Travis Seipp, and things will be more normal for a while.  
Oh yeah, I'll be making minor changes to the earlier chapters soon, whenever I can. They won't impact the story much, if at all, but I'm a stickler for realistic situations, perfect grammar and spelling.

Chapter one was revised... now he doesn't sound so much like a four year old anymore; funny how changing a few words makes all the difference!

Also, took out all my cool text separators so I had to change it to the less than nice-looking line separators :(

Thanks for reading, everybody!

Cheerio!

**~*REVIEW*~**


	13. Chapter 12: The Enemy You Know

A/N: I'm dedicating this chapter to **Serenaxo**, who was the only person in a long while to review. Thanks, Serena!  
To answer your (sort of) question, Albus is attracted to Mirah because he just entered puberty and somehow randomly fell head over heels in love with her. Lame, I know XD  
HOWEVER, Mirah will prove to be an interesting girl and... will lead to many complications in Albus' life. I will be developing more on that, since it's pretty important to the story. That's all I'm saying for now.

And as always (from now on anyway), I dedicate this chapter to **TooManyHobbiesToList123** as well. Thanks for all those reviews!

Oh, and I know this sort of turned out to be a transitional chapter, so you may feel free to go ahead and pick up your teddy bear aka Tyson Mercutio Ferguson and beat me over the head with it...  
I don't use outlines when writing my stories; they tend to write themselves. I'm only following an (extremely) vague outline/plot sort of thing.  
That said, on with the show! (Hey that rhymes with the chapter title!)

* * *

Chapter Twelve – The Enemy You Know

"What were all of you thinking?" Professor McGonagall demanded furiously to the children.

They were in Professor McGonagall's office on the first floor after, released from the Hospital Wing by Madam Pomfrey after checking them over for any injuries. They had no severe injuries to speak of, the worst being only a couple of bruises and small cuts. It was something to be thankful for, given that they had faced off against six Death Eaters.

Everybody had downcast looks on their faces. It wasn't a very good idea, Rose supposed now that she thought about it, to barge into a room full of Death Eaters without a thought about caution.

"Please, professor," Lily spoke up with her voice trembling a little bit, "We didn't know that there would be Death Eaters… we were only concerned about Albus, you see."

Professor McGonagall looked slightly mollified by this show of selflessness, but raised an eyebrow towards Scorpius and Maxien. "Even you two, Malfoy and Zabini?"

"With all due respect, Professor McGonagall," Scorpius replied, "I was only worried that this lot would do something foolish… again. Who am I supposed to taunt if I have no enemies?" He gave a crooked smile at this.

_Merlin, I think Scorpius just made a joke…_ Albus thought with surprise.

"And I was concerned about Scorpius' safety," Maxien added. "It wouldn't be the first time he acted without thinking like a bloody Gryffindor."

"Well, in any case, I'd like to give each of you twenty-five points to your respective houses for handling such a situation so valiantly." Professor McGonagall said. "However, just keep in mind it was only by pure luck that all of you survived today. Any one of you could have died… and some of you came extremely close to death today."

"At least Albus is safe," Eli said defensively.

"I'm not saying you were wrong to save him. I just think you went about this the wrong way. Next time, please, inform a professor, and _do not_ go rushing off into trouble." Professor McGonagall replied. "Am I understood?"

A chorus of "Yes, Professor McGonagall," was heard.

"Good, now take a seat." Professor McGonagall gestured to the armchairs in her office. "I'd like to hear from Albus exactly what happened tonight, and how those Death Eaters got into Hogwarts."

The children all did as they were told, settling themselves into the armchairs.

"Now Albus… do you think you can tell us what happened tonight?" Professor McGonagall asked, her normally stern eyes showing concern for Albus' wellbeing.

Albus was still feeling a little bit sore, but all in all he was already better. Madam Pomfrey had fed him a potion in the Hospital Wing which seemed to have eradicated most of the effects of the Cruciatus Curse. He nodded in assent.

"Alright, Albus. Do you know how the Death Eaters got into the castle?" Professor McGonagall inquired.

"Yes, I do…" Albus frowned as he thought, and then suddenly gasped in shock. "Professor McGonagall! The Hufflepuffs… we have to find them!"

"The Hufflepuffs?" Professor McGonagall lifted an eyebrow in surprise. "What do the Hufflepuffs have to do with this? Calm down, Albus, and tell me!"

"The Death Eaters; they kidnapped some fourth year Hufflepuff boys and used Polyjuice Potion to transform into them! That's how they infiltrated Hogwarts!" Albus said quickly. "Please, professor, we have to find the Hufflepuffs!"

"I will personally make this my first priority. Do you know where they are being kept?" Professor McGonagall asked. "Do you know anything, anything at all that could help us find them?"

Albus thought for a few moments, and spoke. "I remember that day in Hogsmeade… that must have been when they kidnapped the Hufflepuffs. I remember them acting sort of strange. I think they're being kept in Hogsmeade somewhere."

Professor McGonagall nodded, and said, "I will make sure Hogsmeade is searched from top to bottom until the kidnapped Hufflepuffs are found. I think I will inform Professor Sprout as well, since he is the Head of Hufflepuff."

"What did they do to you, Al?" Eli asked in almost a whisper.

Albus closed his eyes for a moment and opened them again. "They attacked me in the Transfiguration Courtyard, and I tried defending myself with the Shield Charm… but the leader of those Death Eaters used a Reductor Curse and broke it, and then followed up with a Binding Spell. I was bound by ropes and I couldn't move, then they dragged me into an empty classroom."

Albus glanced at Mirah, whose expression was unfathomable. Mirah looked up, her eyes meeting Albus, and she was struck by what she saw… eyes filled with pain, not the physical kind but emotional pain, and emptiness.

"Anyway," Albus continued, looking at Professor McGonagall, "They bound me to the wall with a Sticking Charm and then told me that after they killed me, they would kill my family… then they Cruciated me… they all took turns. I reckon it must have been have been ten minutes before you lot showed up."

Everybody in the room looked shocked. Cherylyn and Lily let out a gasp, and even Scorpius and Maxien looked surprised.

"You were tortured for ten minutes?!" Lily said; her voice strangely high-pitched and strangled. "Oh, Al!"

"It's alright, Lils," Albus said tiredly, crossing over to her armchair and giving her a comforting hug. "I'm alright now." Lily returned the hug gently, afraid of hurting her brother.

"Why were they there? Just to kill your family, they said?" asked Professor McGonagall, looking strangely ruffled, with eyes which were slightly moist.

"The Death Eater, the one that seemed to be the leader, called me and my family blood traitors," Albus said, "Blood traitors and filth; and to quote him, 'The family that brought the downfall of the Dark Lord'…"

"It seems like they wanted revenge for Harry–for your father killing Voldemort." Professor McGonagall commented. "Is there anything else?"

Albus shook his head and said, "No, professor. Everything else you already know about."

"Alright," Professor McGonagall said, standing up from behind her desk. She then called out, "Millie!"

A sharp _crack_ sounded, and a few seconds later a short house elf appeared, with large black eyes, and small ears, wearing the tunic belonging to all Hogwarts house elves. It was unmistakably a female house elf, with more feminine features than the ones Albus had seen.

"Master McGonagall is calling Millie?" Millie asked, bowing respectfully at Professor McGonagall.

"Yes, Millie," Professor McGonagall said kindly, looking at Millie. "We have reasons to believe that there are a group of... six Hufflepuffs hidden somewhere in Hogsmeade. I want you to get a group of house elves and comb Hogsmeade from top to bottom until you find them. Is that understood?"

Millie gave another bow and squeaked, "Yes master! I promise I is not failing at this task you is giving! I is beginning straight away!" With that, Millie disappeared with another _crack_.

Professor McGonagall sighed, and said to the eight children, "You may go back to your common rooms. Please, try not to tell anybody what happened. Of course, it'll be all over school tomorrow no matter what I say."

"Good night, professor," Albus said as he filed behind the others out of the office door.

"Good night, Albus."

* * *

Albus, Eli, Rose, Lily and Cherylyn entered the common room. Norvel and Lawrence spotted them, and came over.

"What happened to you, Albus?!" Norvel exclaimed loudly, drawing the looks of other people nearby, who all looked surprised at Albus' state of being.

Not wanting to reveal what had happened in front of everybody, Albus said quietly, "Not now... later." He jerked his head towards the boys' dormitories.

"Oh, okay," Lawrence said, catching on. "Well, talk to you later, Al." With that, he dragged away a confused Norvel as Albus and Eli proceeded to the boys' dormitories after saying goodnight to Rose and Lily, with Eli giving Lily a kiss full on the lips. As Lily left, smiling excessively, Albus smirked at Eli.

"Oh, hold on," Albus said. "I want to go to the bathroom... I want to see how I look. It's not that bad, is it?"

Eli eyed him, and said, "No, it's not that bad..."

Entering the bathroom, he approached the mirror above the pearly white porcelain sink. Albus looked ruffled; there was no other word for it. It was like every part of him had been made disorganized. His black hair was messier than usual, and his face was whiter and wearier, sporting some cuts as well, along his lips and cheeks. His costume, when he took it off, had multiple rips and tears in it.

Albus felt a lopsided smile form on his face as he thought, _Oh well, it could have been worse._

_ Indeed._ the wand agreed. _You could have died._

_ When I was being Cruciated there... _Albus replied mentally, _there was one point where I felt that death would have been a better choice than all the pain I was going through. It was like every bone in my body was burning, and like a thousand white-hot needles were stabbing me._

_That wasn't even a powerful Cruciatus Curse,_ the wand replied. _Its power sounds far below what I can produce._

_Well, you're the Elder Wand,_ Albus thought back at the wand, _and you're pretty much unbeatable._

There was no reply from the wand. Albus sighed as he tried to smooth out his hair, and then proceeded to take a shower, relaxing as the hot water relaxed the tense muscles in his body.

* * *

"So, what happened?" Lawrence said at once as Albus entered, feeling better after a hot shower; even the water couldn't fully slick down his hair.

"Death Eaters," Albus said shortly.

Norvel let out a girlish shriek, causing everybody in Albus' dorm to raise an eyebrow at him. "Death Eaters?!" he gasped. "What do you mean, Death Eaters?!"

Albus recounted everything that had happened that night. By the end of his tale, Norvel and Lawrence looked suitably shocked and impressed that they had to fight six Death Eaters ("You won us a hundred points for Gryffindor?!" Norvel gasped), and horrified that six Hufflepuffs had been kidnapped.

"But Professor McGonagall is taking care of that, right?" Lawrence asked Albus.

Albus nodded in affirmation and replied, "She's getting the house elves to look for them."

"Well, that's good I suppose," Norvel said uncertainly. "Do you think the house elves will find them?"

"I'm pretty sure they will eventually," Albus said. "House elves are actually more powerful and smarter than people realize." He didn't go into further detail, however, but he was thinking about a certain house elf his father had told him about.

With that, everybody tumbled into their beds, exhausted after the Halloween masquerade and the situation with the Death Eaters. Albus was too tired to dream anymore that night, although his bones prickled with the memory of the Cruciatus Curse.

The next day, it seemed as if the whole of Hogwarts had already heard about the Death Eaters, even though Professor McGonagall had attempted to repress the news. As Albus, Eli, Lily and Rose walked down towards the Great Hall the other students began whispering furiously as soon as they caught sight of them, putting their heads together to share stories, no doubt. The group were treated with awe in some cases, and inexplicably suspicion in other cases.

They met Scorpius and Maxien as they arrived on the first floor. Surprisingly, Scorpius didn't have the same amount of animosity he usually had towards Albus and his friends.

"The Slytherins have been bugging us," Scorpius informed them wearily. "They wanted to know whether it was us that let the Death Eaters into the school."

"And it obviously wasn't," Maxien sniffed, clearly affronted at the idea. "If we _did_, not saying that we would, we would certainly not have gone barging into a classroom filled with them."

"The others have been whispering about us a lot," Rose informed the two Slytherins. "Some of them looked awed, and the others looked... suspicious, for some reason."

"They're probably wondering whether or not we let the Death Eaters in as well," Eli said a little angrily. "We wouldn't do anything like that!"

Lily squeezed his hand comfortingly. "I know, Eli. Don't worry; hopefully this will all blow over soon."

As they entered the Great Hall, Scorpius and Maxien gave Albus and Eli a curt nod. Scorpius' eyes lingered on Rose's for a few seconds before they went their separate ways to their tables. The talking grew even louder as the students within the Great Hall noticed their entrance. Albus spotted Cherylyn and motioned that they should sit beside her.

"How are you, Cherylyn?" Albus enquired as they all sat down.

"Well enough," Cherylyn said with a little smile. "My friends have been hounding me to find out what happened though. I told them Professor McGonagall would probably make some sort of announcement."

As if on cue, Professor McGonagall strode up to the front of the teacher's platform. Clapping her hands for silence, she began, "Students of Hogwarts, as you all have probably heard, a few of our students encountered a small group of dark wizards last night."

At this, all eyes swivelled to where Albus, Eli, Lily, Rose and Cherylyn were sitting, and then swivelled back to Professor McGonagall as she continued, "I have already heard rumours about how they managed to get into the castle. I assure you, no killing was involved, and _definitely_ no dragons either. However, just because those wizards managed to get in doesn't mean others will. I have already strengthened the wards around Hogwarts and have added others so that this will not happen again. Thank you, and please do not pester the poor children, as they already have enough on their hands."

As Professor McGonagall sat back down, food appeared on the tables and they all began eating, discussing the past day's events.

* * *

Somewhere else far away from Hogwarts, in the same forest the two had conversed earlier, two men in hooded cloaks and masks were arguing with each other. They were indistinguishable except that one was broad shouldered, and the other was thinner. A group of eleven other cloaked figures stood around them.

"This is unacceptable," the broad shouldered man spoke, his cruel black eyes glittering madly through his mask. "You were given a job to do. You failed."

The thinner man replied, "The circumstances were against us. We were outnumbered–"

"Seven of them were children!" the broad shouldered man snapped. "Don't tell me you couldn't even handle seven _children_, Seipp!"

"And the other three were extremely experienced duellers, the headmistress of Hogwarts included!" Seipp shot back.

"You failed," the broad shouldered man repeated. "And you knew the consequences of failure." Drawing his wand, he screamed, "_Avada Kedavra!_"

Seipp's wand was already drawn before the broad shouldered man uttered the Killing Curse. Disapparating, he reappeared behind the man and slashed a single stroke with his wand, ripping through the man's hood.

A blonde haired head tumbled to the ground, severed from its body which landed beside the head, its neck gushing blood. The head's lifeless black eyes stared sideways, unseeing.

"You," Seipp growled, pointing at a Death Eater. "Clean up this filth."

After the Death Eater had soundlessly levitated the body to a safe distance, he set it on fire, burning it until it was only blackened and flaky ashes on the ground, which was then Vanished. When he had finished, Seipp said to all the Death Eaters present, "From now on, _I_ will be in charge. _I_ will make the rules, and _I_ will make the decisions and give the orders. Is that understood?"

A Death Eater spoke up angrily and said, "You can't do that! Who gave you the authority to–"

Before the Death Eater could finish his sentence, Seipp pointed his wand at him and said, "_Avada Kedavra_." The Death Eater slumped to the ground, utterly dead. Seipp turned to the remaining Death Eaters and said calmly, "Now does anybody _else_ have an objection?"

The gathered Death Eaters said nothing for a moment, and then one said, "No, my lord." The rest followed suit.

Seipp nodded behind his mask, satisfied. "Good. I believe there is a plan that needs to be made; first, regarding the rise of our Lord, and second, our revenge against the ones who brought about his downfall. By the end of next month, Harry Potter and his kin will be no more. Now... what do you know about Horcruxes?"

* * *

A/N: HORCRUXES?! WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?! So, any of you have any guesses about what's going to happen in my story? Comments are welcome, and as always...

**~*REVIEW!*~**


	14. Chapter 13: Celebrations and Resurgence

**A/N:** Thanks again to **Serenaxo** for your review, and thanks, **Ravenclaw's Redhead** too for yours! I fixed that mistake about Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout. It seems like I got the Heads of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff confused... And as always, constructive criticism is always welcome, but so is a little bit of praise *hint hint*, haha.

**Update, May 5/10:** Serora, you forgetful snake! Well, it seems as if she has forgotten to write herself into this chapter, being almost entirely forgotten after that one part.  
Also, she's told me that her name is _Serora_, not Saphira. Sorry, dearie, it seems like I misheard you inside my head. Also, I've updated chapter 8 and this one with the snake's description (in the letter and when Albus first sees it, respectively). So chapter 13 has been revised a little - read it over again just 'cuz you can!

This chapter is dedicated to **TooManyHobbiesToList123** - you probably haven't read up to here yet, but it's for you anyway!

* * *

Chapter Thirteen – Celebrations and Resurgence

The night claimed the skies of Hogwarts once more. Nearly every student was in bed, save for a few trouble makers roaming the halls. However, Albus was not one of them. He was in bed, having another nightmare.

_"Blood of the enemy… forcibly given, you will resurrect your foe."_ Albus dreamed that his father was bound to a statue in a graveyard somewhere. A small, mousy and watery eyed man dug a dagger into his father's arm. As his father screamed in pain, Albus noticed that he was very young; not much older than Albus presently was. He dreamed that the mousy man flicked the drops of blood on the dagger into a boiling cauldron which turned blood red, and another scream, inhuman and terrible pierced the air. The cauldron dissolved, its contents turning into vapour, swirling around an indistinct figure, until the vapour was blown away, revealing a man… the same man Albus had seen before in his dreams, with a snakelike face, slits in the red pupils of his eyes, and a caved in nose which resembled a lizard's. _"Robe me, Wormtail."_

Albus woke up, quietly this time. Lying in bed sideways, he wiped away the sweat which had formed on his face, thinking about what he had seen. It seemed familiar… then he realized that it was the return of Voldemort which his father had told him about, the one that had taken place during the Triwizard Tournament in his fourth year. But why was Albus seeing this? He had never seen any of it, so how did he dream of what had happened? Shaking his head, Albus chalked it up to the after-effects of the Cruciatus Curse and a lack of sleep. Dozing off again, sleep reclaimed him once more, filling his head with indistinct whispers.

Nothing much of interest happened from the period after Halloween until near Christmas break. Once again, for what seemed like the hundredth time, Albus had asked Mirah to allow him to walk her to class. This time, Mirah had shrugged and said, "Sure."

As Albus followed Mirah out of Defence Against the Dark Arts, Eli smiled at him and gave him a small wink.

"So what's your next class?" Albus asked Mirah politely as they walked down a corridor.

"Charms, third floor with Flitwick." Mirah responded.

"Oh, I have Charms with him at the end of the day. I've got Divination next. Trelawney, and thus complete and utter rubbish." Albus said, attempting to make a joke.

"Sucks for you then," Mirah replied. "At least next year you'll get Firenze."

"Yeah," Albus agreed. "So, why are you finally letting me walk to you class?"

Mirah said nothing for a moment, only giving a shrug, and then replied, "I don't know."

"Oh, er, okay." Albus said uncertainly. "So, how's Maxien? I haven't seen for a couple of weeks."

"I don't know," Mirah replied. "I haven't been with him since Halloween."

An inexplicable relief filled Albus. He supposed that Mirah being Maxien's date for the Halloween masquerade had only been a onetime thing. Nothing much was said all the way to the third floor. Albus attempted to make small talk, but in the end Mirah's non-committal answers make it extremely awkward for Albus. He spent the rest of the time with her in silence.

"Ah, Potter," Professor Flitwick squeaked, peering up at him as Albus and Mirah reached his classroom. "Surely you're not due to be here until much later?"

"No, professor," Albus answered. "I was only walking Mirah to class."

"Ah, of course, of course," Professor Flitwick answered. "I shall see you later then, my boy!"

"Goodbye, professor," Albus replied, and then to Mirah, "Bye, I'll see you tomorrow."

As he turned to leave, Albus realized with a twinge of annoyance that Mirah did not say goodbye back to him.

* * *

It was the day before Christmas Eve, and the students were heading by droves to the train station in Hogsmeade for their Christmas holidays to return to their families. Only a few stayed behind, as some always did. Albus, James and Lily were returning home for Christmas, along with Rose and Hugo, and Eli, who all sat in the same compartment.

As the train sped along the countryside, Rose turned to James and said disapprovingly, "You haven't been doing any _more_ pranks, have you?"

"Oh, of course I have!" James said with a wide grin. "They were all small pranks though, and beneath the teachers' notice."

"You're only going to get into more trouble, you know," Lily said to James. "You have to be more serious about your magical education. I swear you only passed your OWLs through sheer, dumb luck."

"I am serious," James protested, and then grinned wickedly. "In fact, Sirius is my middle name! Siriusly!"

As groans reverberated through the compartment at James' old and overused joke, Albus turned to James and said, "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention to you that mum said she would send you a Howler if you got caught one more time. Mind you, she said if you "get caught"… leaves you plenty of room to manoeuvre, doesn't it?" Albus flashed James a smile.

"Spoken like a true prankster," James replied proudly, tossing his red hair.

"What-the-bloody-hell-you-did-not-just-toss-your-hair," Hugo deadpanned.

James said nothing and only smirked.

A few hours later, a magically amplified voice echoed through the train, "Arriving at platform nine and three-quarters in King's Cross in five minutes time."

"This is it, guys! We're going home!" Eli exclaimed. "Grab your luggage!"

The train pulled into platform nine and three-quarters a few minutes later. James and Rose rose from their seats and proceeded to exit the train. Eli and Lily dawdled behind a little bit, wanting to say goodbye to each other. Albus proceeded to wait in the corridor outside the compartment.

"I'll miss you a lot, Eli," Lily said softly, holding Eli's hand.

"And I'll miss you more, my Lily flower," Eli smiled, ruffling Lily's long red hair. Lily shrieked in indignation before she was pulled into a hug by Eli, who then kissed her soundly on the lips. They exited the train compartment, one hand holding the others', and their free hands carrying their luggage.

"What was that all about, huh?" Albus joked good-naturedly.

"Oh you know, just saying our goodbyes… and snogging." Eli said, smiling playfully.

"Eli!" Lily reproached Eli, letting go of his hand and smacking him on the head.

* * *

"Oh my, you kids have grown!" Albus, James and Lily found themselves suddenly smothered in a hug by their mother.

"Mum, gerr'off!" James mumbled with his face squashed against Ginny Weasley's shoulder. Their mother backed off, laughing with her brown eyes gleaming with happiness, and said, "I'm just so happy to see you three again! It's been four months!"

"Yes, it is good to see you lot again," came a deeper, male voice. It was their father, Harry Potter, smiling at them. It seemed as if Harry Potter was just an older version of Albus, with the same messy jet black hair and almond shaped emerald green eyes. The only noticeable difference was that Albus had his mother's nose, and the knobbly knees which were so prevalent in the Potter line had thankfully passed him over.

"Mum, where's my snake?" Albus asked excitedly. "I wrote to you that I made Chaser; did you buy me the snake?"

Ginny laughed at her son's enthusiasm and said fondly, "Of course, Albus. I'm not one to break my promises."

"Where is it?!" Albus said, even more excited, peering around as if his mother was hiding it from him.

"Relax, Al!" Ginny said sternly, but her lips were tugged into a smile. "It's at home; I put it in a cage inside your room."

Their home in question was a place called Potter Manor, a large–but not overly so–mansion on top of a private property in Kent owned by the Potter family. The mansion had seven bedrooms, four bathrooms, two kitchens, and two recreational rooms. There was also a large backyard behind the house where the children and sometimes their parents would play Quidditch in. Since the Potter Manor was unplottable and had Muggle Repelling charms around the perimeter, they were in no fear of being discovered by any stray Muggles or unwanted visitors.

They arrived at home by means of a Muggle car, the inside of which was enlarged magically to fit the three children comfortably and their luggage as well. As Albus' dad pushed open the gate to their house, the lights within lit up, twinkling brightly as if welcoming them home.

"Well, take your things to your rooms and unpack!" Ginny ordered her children. "Dinner will be in half an hour."

Albus, James and Lily all went to their respective rooms. In Albus' room (a spacious room adorned with red and gold colors) on top of his dresser rested a medium sized iron cage, containing a snake, dull red in color with white patterns along its sides and two dark stripes starting behind the eyes and extending to the rear, curled up on the straw bedding. It looked to be about two and a half feet long in length. Albus, being a little bit of an expert on snakes knew that the snake was a magical variety of the Saw Scaled viper, a venomous snake found in the dry regions of Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. It was larger than most snakes of its species, due to its magical nature, making it more intelligent. Saw Scaled vipers exhibited a characteristic threat display, rubbing sections of their body together to produce a "sizzling" warning sound, and thus that was where its name came from.

"A beauty, isn't it?" Albus heard a voice behind him say. Turning around, he saw his father looking at the snake within the cage.

"Yes, it is! Thanks dad, and tell my mum thanks as well!" Albus said happily.

Harry chuckled and said, "You can tell her yourself later. Why don't we take it out and have a closer look?"

As Harry approached the cage and unlatched it, the snake uncoiled and stretched lazily. "_Are you finally letting me out?_" it hissed.

"_Yesss,_" Harry replied in parseltongue. "_I want you to meet your owner._"

Albus approached it cautiously and hissed in parseltongue, "_I mean you no harm._"

The ability to speak parseltongue was not, as Albus Dumbledore had believed, the result of Harry Potter being a Horcrux. When the Horcrux within Harry had died, he found out that he could still speak parseltongue. Harry was shocked at first, but upon extensive research of his family tree, he discovered that he was a descendant of Slytherin on his great-great-great grandmother's side as well as being the heir of Gryffindor. Thus, since being a Parselmouth was hereditary, that was why Harry could speak in parseltongue. Albus was the only one of Harry and Ginny's children who inherited the ability.

The snake regarded Albus curiously and spoke, "_Are you my new owner? I've seen you looking at me in the store._"

"_Yesss,_" Albus replied, "_I am._" He stroked the snake's smooth triangle shaped head with his forefinger, tracing the stripes behind its eyes.

"_Are you planning to name me, human?_" the snake inquired.

"_Yesss. Are you male or female?_"

"_I am undoubtedly a female._" The snake's hiss had a tone of amusement to it.

_"Chelsssea…?_"

"_Far too normal, don't you think?_"

"_What about… Ssserora?_"

"_Yesss… I like it._"

"_Ssserora it isss, then._"

"Well, that's that," Harry said in English, having listened to Albus and Serora' conversation. "Now that you've named your snake, you should unpack your things. You'll have plenty of time to get to know your pet later."

"Yes dad," Albus replied. After he had unpacked, he played around with his snake a little bit, and he had a lot of fun interacting with her. In some ways, Serora was almost like another friend Albus could talk to.

"Dinner!" Albus heard his mother call from downstairs. Albus sat up from his four poster bed and ran downstairs, eager to sample his mother's cooking again.

* * *

On Christmas Day, Albus woke up to find a whole pile of presents at the foot of his bed. He bounded out of bed and began to open the first present, which was a long, thin package wrapped in red and gold wrapping paper.

"_Good morning little one,_" Saphira hissed as Albus began to rip open the package.

"_Good morning Serora,_" Albus answered, smiling. "_I think this one's a broomstick!_"

A few seconds later, Albus found himself the owner of a brand new Firebolt 3000. Making a mental note to give his father a big hug later on, he open his next present from his mother, which was a wand holder that could be attached to his wrist. Trying it on, Albus found out that he could draw his wand much faster now, with just a simple flick of his wrist when it was in the holder.

Albus received a big gift basket of Honeyduke's chocolates and sweets from Eli, a book on Quidditch from James ("Typical," Albus snorted), more sweets from Lily, a box full of prank items from his uncle George, a book called _Transfiguration Theory: An Advanced Text_ by William Tessar from his aunt Hermione, a box of chocolates from his uncle Ron, and even more sweets from his other friends at Hogwarts including Norvel, Lawrence, and surprisingly, a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans from Cherylyn.

Stowing some of the sweets in his' trunk for consumption when he got back to Hogwarts, Albus suddenly froze in horror.

"It's gone!" he exclaimed. The Elder Wand, which had always been in his trunk… was gone. Albus feverishly tossed everything out of his trunk, but when it was completely empty, he was forced to accept the terrifying truth. The Elder Wand was gone… lost. Putting everything back in the trunk, Albus thought quickly.

_Where could it be? I haven't seen it since… well, I never really look in the trunk._ Albus thought. Then, broadcasting his thoughts, he tried communicating with the Elder Wand. _Are you there? Please, answer me!_

There was no reply, no matter how many times Albus tried. Utterly defeated, Albus slumped back against his bed, his presents forgotten.

* * *

"Morning, Al!" Ginny greeted her son as Albus came downstairs, with Serora wrapped comfortingly around his chest and neck. She had been cooking a Christmas breakfast, or rather, Christmas breakfast, lunch and dinner, as it seemed to be enough food to last a week. There was a large turkey, pancakes, mashed potatoes, peas, salad, roast beef, and much more being prepared. Seeing his pale face, she said worriedly, "What's wrong? I see you're enjoying your new pet, at least."

"Nothing, mum," Albus said, forcing a smile on his face. He didn't want _anybody_ to find out that he had lost the Elder Wand, especially his parents who didn't know he had it in the first place. "I'm just tired; I couldn't sleep much… Christmas Eve, you know."

"Ah, of course," Ginny smiled at her son, ruffling his messy hair. "Did you like my present?"

"Yes mum," Albus smiled, genuinely this time. "The wand holder will be pretty useful. And thanks so much for the snake! I named it Serora."

"Serora? That's a nice name. About the wand holder, just try not to get into too many duels just because you have one, alright?" Ginny said sternly. "A few is understandable, but I do not want to be hearing from Minerva."

"Yes mum."

Albus' dad came downstairs at that moment, yawning hugely, still in his pyjamas. Albus ran over to his dad, giving a huge hug and exclaimed, "Thanks for the broom!"

Harry put on a fake hurt expression. "It's not just a _broom_! It's a Firebolt 3000, the newest and fastest! I thought since you're now a Chaser, you should have a proper broom. I want to be there for your first match though; when is it?"

"A week after we go back to Hogwarts," Albus answered.

"Harry James Potter!" Ginny exclaimed, seeing her husband's state of dress, "Get out of your pyjamas right now!"

Harry grinned wickedly and replied, "Isn't it too early for that?"

Ginny flushed and said, "Oh, you know what I meant. Change into your normal clothes, alright?"

"Yes, dear," Harry responded, going back upstairs.

James and Lily came downstairs, roused by the smell of breakfast cooking.

"Morning!" Lily chirped. "Thanks for the presents mum!"

"Yeah, thanks mum." James smiled.

"It was nothing," Ginny smiled back. "It's Christmas after all."

"Wow, you've got your new snake wrapped around you already," Lily noted. "What did you name it?"

"Serora," Albus answered.

"Serora?" Lily said. "That name sounds so pretty!"

James snorted, and Albus shot him a grin.

After breakfast, they celebrated by playing Quidditch in the snowy backyard outside, with Albus trying out his new Firebolt while James watched him with envy.

* * *

Elsewhere, a group of Death Eaters were having a very different kind of celebration.

"We have it at last!" Seipp exclaimed, holding up the object for all to see. "It is unusable for its normal purpose, but it is the first step to bringing about the rise of our Dark Lord!"

The gathered crowd of twelve Death Eaters cheered.

"Now, we must take steps to prepare the ritual. Nothing must go wrong…"

* * *

It was the day before New Years when Harry tore through the house in a state of fear.

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed, seeing her husband's dishevelled state. "What is it?"

"The Elder Wand!" Harry panted. "It's gone! Gone!"

"What?" Ginny said, shocked. "What do you mean, gone?"

"It's not in the hidden room in our closet!" Harry said. "The glass case is empty!"

With that, Harry ran back upstairs to his room again. Albus stood by his bedroom door, frozen. He had heard everything that his father said downstairs. He knew he was responsible for the Elder Wand's loss. There was only one thing to do; the right thing. Taking a deep breath, he called out, "Dad!"

"Al, I don't have time; I lost something really important–" Harry began.

"The Elder Wand, I know," Albus replied wearily. His father looked surprised for a second, his mouth open in an "O".

Closing his mouth, Harry opened it again and asked, "Do you know something about it?"

"Yeah dad, could you please sit down in my room? I have something really important to tell you." Albus said.

Once they were both seated on Albus' bed, Albus recounted everything about the Elder Wand; how he had found it when he was seven years old, and how it could talk, and how he found it in his trunk every time he returned to Hogwarts, and how he could communicate with it in his mind. By the end of his tale, his dad looked horrified.

"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" Harry said, his green eyes radiating disappointment. "Do you realize what that is? Do you realize the danger you were in?!"

Albus mutely shook his head.

"If everything you told me is true… Albus, that is another Horcrux." Harry said, the revelation of this shaking him to his very core even as he said it.

"A what?"

"A Horcrux, Albus!" Harry snapped. "An object Voldemort used to place a piece of his soul in!"

"What?!" Albus said, horrified. "That's not possible! Whenever I talked to it… it was never… it never seemed evil!"

"Tom Riddle can be very charming when he wants to." Harry replied. "Albus, I am extremely disappointed in you. Your uncle Ron's father said to me once, 'Never trust an object that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain'. This is the exact sort of thing he meant! It's like the Chamber of Secrets all over again…" A sudden thought struck Harry, and he said quickly, "Albus, have you ever experienced periods of time when you couldn't remember anything you did?"

Albus thought for a few moments, and then responded, "No, dad."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, then we know that the Horcrux hasn't tried to possess you yet… but this is an extremely bad situation. With the Elder Wand lost, and turned into a Horcrux, Voldemort could rise once more! Thankfully, with a Horcrux in the Elder Wand, that would theoretically diminish its power, turning it into a normal wand, but…"

Albus watched as his father trailed off, muttering to himself all the while. "I'm sorry, dad," Albus said after a while. "I should have told you."

Harry looked at his son with a tired smile. "It's alright, Al. However, you're grounded until the time you have to go back to Hogwarts. You're not allowed on your broom either."

Albus accepted the punishment, knowing that he could have been given worse.

* * *

"How is this possible?" Harry muttered to himself, pacing back and forth in the hidden room within their closet. "I never suspected… but still, a Horcrux… how did the Elder Wand become one?"

Harry then recalled Dumbledore telling him once that Voldemort's soul, having been split into seven, had been made extremely fragile.

"That explains it, I guess," Harry continued, still talking to himself. "It makes sense… since Voldemort's soul was so fragile, when he tried to kill me for the last time his soul split _again_. It's already disconcerting enough that Albus had been so close to it… thank Merlin nothing bad happened to him. Since it was presumably stolen though, the thief either knew about the Elder Wand or the Horcrux… the second option seems more likely because if whoever stole it for the Elder Wand, it wouldn't work for them because they didn't win it. No, it seems like they knew about Horcruxes."

The realization of what he had just said struck him. "They know about the Horcruxes!" Harry exclaimed loudly. "That can only mean…"

_Voldemort will rise once more…_ was Harry's last thought as he buried his face in his hands.

* * *

**A/N:** Wow, a lot of almost-action in this chapter. Needless to say, this was a key chapter, and I'm thankful it turned out to be so. As usual, I wrote whatever came to my head... letting the story write itself. Next chapter, if all goes to plan, will include Albus' return to Hogwarts, more of the Death Eaters, and elsewhere, Harry pays a visit to the Ministry, and Dumbledore's portrait...  
As always...

**~*REVIEW!*~**


	15. Chapter 14: The Horcrux Revelation

**A/N:** Another nice and long chapter! I hope at least somebody out there enjoys my *ahem* mediocre work.

This chapter is dedicated in three parts, to:

**TooManyHobbiesToList123** - Thanks for everything; you know what I mean ;)  
**Ravenclaw's Redhead** - It's a challenge writing a chapter that lives up to your expectations, but even a small word of praise from you is enough to make me happy. That said, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you too much! :)  
**Serenaxo** - For being such a nice reviewer; thanks so much for your kind words!

* * *

Chapter Fourteen – The Horcrux Revelation

They were back at platform nine and three-quarters; it was the day after New Years and the children were due to return to Hogwarts to continue their magical education. They were loaded with luggage, and Albus carried the cage in which Serora rested.

As James and Lily bid their farewells, Albus was drawn into a fierce hug by his father. "You stay safe, alright?" Harry whispered into Albus' ear.

"Yes dad," Albus replied, hugging his father back. "Love you."

"I love you too, son." Harry answered, and let go of Albus.

"Enjoy yourselves, study hard, don't get into any trouble, and stay safe!" Ginny called out as her children boarded the Hogwarts Express, dragging their luggage along.

Finding an empty compartment, they slid the door open and entered, putting their trunks on the racks above. Albus waved at his parents through the window.

"Don't forget, Albus," Harry called, "We'll be there for your first match – so write me when you know the date!"

Albus nodded his assent as the train blew its whistle and began to move, slowly at first and then picking up speed. He, James and Lily watched as their parents' figures became smaller and smaller as they receded into the distance, waving all the while. When they finally went out of sight, the three Potter children sank into their seats.

"I can't believe dad let you take that snake with you," James complained. "How come I never get a cool pet like that?"

Albus grinned, letting Serora out of the cage. She slithered onto his arm, wrapping herself around it as Albus hissed to Serora, "_Because he's a great big dunderhead_."

Serora made a sound which was almost like a snaky chuckle.

"What?" James demanded. "What did you say?"

"Nothing," Albus smirked.

"Well, I think Serora is a pretty snake," Lily said. "She's a great pet… I wish I could speak parseltongue…"

"I was just lucky," Albus smiled. "Any one of you could have gotten the ability."

A few seconds later, the door to their compartment slid open, revealing Eli, Rose and Hugo.

"There you bloody lot are," Eli grumbled as he dragged his trunk inside, with Rose and Hugo following behind him. "Had to walk down the whole train to find you."

"Language, Eli!" Rose reprimanded him.

"Sorry," Eli said, sticking his tongue out at Rose. He then turned around to Lily, smiling broadly. "There's my Lily flower!" He sank into the seat right beside her, and Lily snuggled into him, resting her head on his shoulder. Eli planted a soft kiss on her red hair.

"Missed you," Lily mumbled into his shoulder.

"Missed you more," Eli smiled, brushing away a lock of hair which had fallen over Lily's eyes.

"Well, now the love fest is over and done with," James said after a few seconds of silence, "Anything happen with you lot over Christmas?"

"Well, you know," Rose answered, "Just a normal holiday… thanks for the present Albus, by the way. You too, Lily."

"Yeah, thanks, Al and Lils," Hugo said, smiling at both of them.

"It was no problem," Albus smiled back, meeting Rose's and Hugo's chocolate brown eyes, with Lily echoing the sentiment.

"Sorry I didn't get you anything, Rose and Hugo," James said with a grin, "But my excuse is that I don't really know you two that well and so I had no idea what to get you for Christmas."

"James, you prat!" Lily said, smacking her oldest brother on the head. "You've known Rose and Hugo since they were born!"

"Still," James replied, running his fingers through his hair, "We don't hang out much, do we?"

"Merlin's pants!" Eli exclaimed, pointing Serora, who was wrapped around Albus' arm. "Is that a bloody _snake_?"

"Her name's Serora," Albus replied. "She's mine."

"Wicked cool," Eli said, examining her from a safe distance. "She won't bite, right?"

"Nah," Albus said with a smile. "Unless I ask her to."

"Well you better not, you prat," grinned Eli, smacking Albus on the shoulder.

"Oh, I'm going to get you for that," Albus said, pretending to be angry. He looked at the Serora and hissed, "_Scare him._"

Serora uncurled herself from his arm, stretched to her full length, bared her teeth and hissed menacingly.

"Wait, wait," Eli said quickly as Serora appeared to try to take a bite out of him, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please don't eat me," he said to Serora.

"_Okay, that's enough, thanks._" Albus grinned at Serora.

"_My pleasure,_" Serora replied, slithering up to his neck and draping herself around Albus' neck.

Albus then smirked at Eli. "You know I only told her to scare you, right? Like I would ever tell her to bite my best mate."

"You – you–" Eli spluttered, while everyone laughed.

They chatted amicably after that as the countryside sped by, still snowy white, until the witch with the trolley showed up. After purchasing a pile of sweets they split it between all six of them, and munched away happily.

All too soon, it seemed, the disembodied voice announced throughout the train, "Hogwarts Express arriving in Hogsmeade in half an hour."

"That's our cue to change into our school robes," Albus said, pulling his trunk off the rack and taking his school robe out. "_And I've got to put you back in your cage, Serora… sorry._"

After letting Serora slither back into her cage and shutting it, Albus gazed sadly at the bottom of the trunk where the Elder Wand used to occupy.

_Where are you?_ Albus thought. He knew it was a Horcrux, a piece of Voldemort's soul, but he felt that if it was with him he would at least know it was safe, and that nobody could revive Voldemort. But now…

Shaking his head, Albus put his trunk back on the rack above, clutching Serora's cage.

* * *

"Head Auror Harry James Potter," Harry enunciated clearly to a locked door. He was on the second level of the Ministry of Magic, at the door to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. "Open." At his words, the door glowed white for a few seconds and then returned to normal. Harry then walked straight through the door as if it wasn't there at all.

The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was a busy place. Witches and wizards bustled around, some holding stacks of papers, some empty handed and some holding goblets of water, pumpkin juice, and hot chocolate. All of them wore black robes, with small insignias and badges indicating which division they belonged to. The atmosphere was relaxed, but Harry knew that it would sadly be changed soon.

"Morning, Harry," A deep, measured voice greeted him. Harry looked around and saw Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister of Magic, smiling at him. "About time you showed up."

"Good morning, Kingsley," Harry smiled back at the Kingsley.

"That's Minister to you when on the job," Kingsley replied sternly, but the effect was ruined when the corners of his lips tugged into a smile. "Of course, feel free to call me Kingsley otherwise."

"What brings you to the DMLE, Minister?" Harry asked.

"Just checking up on things," Kingsley answered, "But I was hoping to say hello to you as well."

"I appreciate the sentiment," Harry said, touched that Kingsley would take time out of his busy schedule as the Minster of Magic just to visit him.

"So how are things with the family?" Kingsley enquired.

"We had a nice Christmas holiday," Harry said, hesitating. "But… I found out my son was in possession of a Horcrux."

"A Horcrux?" Kingsley's dark skin paled visibly as he heard Harry say that one single word. "Voldemort's?"

Harry heaved a deep sigh, and exhaled one word. "Yes."

"Merlin's beard," Kingsley said, and then looked at Harry straight in his eyes, brown eyes meeting green. "You know what to do then."

"Indeed." Harry replied. "Good day then, Minister."

"Good day, Harry," Kingsley said, his face suddenly lined and weary. "And good luck." With that, Kingsley turned and left the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Harry heaved another sigh as he watched the Minister leave. How could he convince everybody there was the possibility that Voldemort might return once more? Personally, he was not sure if he even wanted to face him again.

_No,_ Harry thought, squaring his shoulders. _I must do what needs to be done, for the sake of the Wizarding World._

Harry pointed his wand at his throat, and muttered, "_Sonorus._"

"Attention please," Harry's voice boomed throughout the department. All faces turned towards him at once, and everybody became silent. "All Aurors please meet in the Auror Office for an emergency meeting. The others, please go back to work, and have a good morning. Thank you. _Quietus._"

Harry strode into the Auror Office, pacing back and forth at the head of a large oval oak table, stained with age, and ringed with hard backed chairs. This was where the Aurors congregated whenever a meeting was held.

"What's this about, mate?" Ron asked, striding inside, with Hermione following behind him.

"Is something wrong?" Hermione added.

Harry only shook his head. Watching the Aurors file through the door, he said to Ron and Hermione, "I'll tell you with the rest of them."

From the corner of his eyes Harry saw Hermione open her mouth to object. Holding a hand up to stop her, he said, "Everybody needs to hear this, at the same time."

Hermione closed her mouth, struck by how weary her best friend sounded. It was as if Harry had just shouldered another large burden. Nodding, she said, "Okay; just remember, Harry, we'll always stand by you."

"Yeah mate," Ron agreed, "No matter what."

"Thank you both," Harry said sincerely. When the last of the Aurors had filed into the Auror Office, and was seated, Harry waved his wand and cast Privacy Wards around the room.

"What I am about to say next," Harry began, standing at the head of the table, "must stay in this room. Anybody found guilty of revealing what I will tell you today will be sentenced to a term of stay in Azkaban. Understood?"

Hermione shot him a shocked look, but Harry ignored it. The Aurors knew that Harry was dead serious. All of them respected Harry very much, and would follow his orders without fail. When murmurs of acquiescence filled the room, Harry continued.

"Voldemort–" Harry was proud to see that not one Auror in the room had flinched. "–is not dead."

General cries of shock and surprise filled the room. Everybody began speaking all at once, asking questions.

"Harry?" Hermione cried out, "What do you mean? Of course Voldemort is dead; you killed him!"

"Quiet!" Harry shouted, commanding total silence from the crowd of Aurors. "Yes, I did kill Voldemort. But no, he is unfortunately not dead, as I have found out recently. Rest assured," Harry said, raising his hand to quell the murmurs which began to sweep the room again, "He is not alive either."

Harry noted looks on confusion on almost every single face, including his two best friends. Hermione's face, however, soon changed to a look of horror-struck comprehension.

"No…" she whispered. "Not a – it can't be…"

A small part of Harry deep inside was smiling. This was the Hermione he knew and loved; smart, intelligent, and the first one to figure things out.

"Yes, Hermione," Harry said, speaking directly to her. "There was – or rather, is, another Horcrux."

And this time, the Aurors erupted into cries of outrage and disbelief which could not be stopped. Harry heard somebody exclaim, "Impossible!" and another, "He's lying!" Harry tried to shout above them to be quiet, but to no avail.

Finally, he drew his wand and magnified his voice again. "SILENCE!" Harry boomed. "RIGHT NOW!" The noise in the Auror Office subsided again, and Harry cancelled the spell.

"You say it's impossible," Harry said, his voice quiet but quivering with anger. "And you say I'm lying. Well, I went through years of being called a liar! I'm bloody well used to being accused of being a raving lunatic." He clenched his fist, the faded scars on his left hand still standing out white against his skin after all this time. _I must not tell lies_.

"You should know by now that _nothing_ is impossible." Harry continued. "We live in a world of magic, and you need to realize that life isn't all cozy like you believe it is. Have I ever lied to you? Have I ever misled any of you? HAVE I?" Harry shouted the last two words, glaring at the throng of Aurors in front of him. "All of you know by now how Voldemort tried to make himself immortal. That was largely thought to be previously impossible, but it wasn't. He would have achieved immortality–he nearly did–if it wasn't for people who were dedicated to bringing him down. I ask you again. Have I ever misled you?"

The Aurors all looked at each other, knowing the answer. Harry James Potter was the best Head Auror they've ever had, and his intuition, courage, and leadership skills were what had made him Head Auror in the first place. He always led them well, and headed the most dangerous missions himself. Whenever he did so, he led them out again without fail, with rarely a casualty. This made him the most respected Auror in the history of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, surpassing even Alastor Moody in recognition, although everybody used to think he was quite mad anyway.

"But how, Harry?" Ron asked blankly. "How can there be another Horcrux? We destroyed all of them!"

"We did," Harry answered. "But when I faced Tom Riddle for the last time… when the Killing Curse rebounded on him again, something happened that shouldn't have. His soul, when he cast the Killing Curse," Harry announced to the room at large, "was already extremely fragile. It split again, creating an eighth Horcrux."

"What is it?" someone asked.

"Dumbledore's wand," Harry said, deciding against revealing the secret that it was the Elder Wand. "The one Riddle stole from his tomb. He tried to kill me with it."

"Where is it now?" Hermione asked worriedly, knowing Harry was referring to the Elder Wand. "I thought you kept it in a hidden room?"

"Somebody stole it," Harry answered, given both Ron and Hermione a meaningful look, communicating that he would tell them the full details later. "And now, we don't know where it is. All I know is, there is a piece of Voldemort's soul somewhere in Great Britain, and there is a very good possibility that whoever stole it knows about Horcruxes and plans to resurrect Voldemort. This brings me to why I have called this emergency meeting today."

Harry surveyed the Aurors assembled before him, feeling a fierce sense of pride at the resolute and determined looks on all their faces. This was his army, in a sense. They had trained under him, and they all worked for him, and all were loyal to him.

"Your new mission, from now on, is to keep a look out for any suspicious gatherings of witches and wizards. I know that there are still some Death Eaters living under the delusion that their _Dark Lord_," Harry's voice took a mocking tone here, "will rise again." His voice turned bitter. "It seems like they might get their wish. Most likely the culprit responsible for the theft of the Horcrux is an overzealous Death Eater."

Harry gave all the Aurors a quick description of the Elder Wand, listing the length, color, wood, and a few other defining properties.

"You all must understand the responsibility you are shouldering today. I apologize for burdening you with this… but we must do our utmost to stop Voldemort's return, and I cannot do it alone." Harry said, his eyes meeting as many of the Aurors' as he could.

"All in a day's work, right?" a witch said with a smile. The tense atmosphere in the Auror Office broke, and they all laughed.

"Quite," Harry smiled back. "I trust all of you to keep an eye out for the Horcrux, and I trust you not to tell anybody outside this room about what I have just told you today. Please do not prove me wrong. Dismissed."

Harry lowered the Privacy Wards around the room, and the Aurors all filed back out of the Auror Office, going back to their regular routine. The workers who had not been in the meeting noticed that the Aurors were all more subdued than usual and some of them had troubled looks upon their faces. They could only guess at what transpired in the room.

* * *

Seipp held the object reverently, gazing at it as if it was some precious jewel.

_With this, I will rule the Wizarding world, along with my master. _he thought, and his lips curled into a wicked smile. He sighed. _I just wish I didn't have to do all this bloody reading. Who knew you had to learn Runes and Arithmancy just for this?_

Flipping open a book belonging to a rather large stack on the table he was sitting at, he placed the object carefully back down upon the table. Contrary to most stereotypes that all ruthless and brutal Death Eaters who tried to take over the world were idiots, Seipp was a rather intelligent man. Ruthless, yes, and yes, he could kill somebody in cold-blood without a second thought, but he was intelligent. However, that didn't mean he had to enjoy researching and reading books.

_Stupid bloody subject…_ Seipp growled inwardly. _There has to be a quicker way, at least._

His eyes widened as he opened another book at random and read the chapter heading. He feverishly flipped through the chapter, scanning the pages, a feeling of joy rising through him with every word he read.

"Yes!" Seipp crowed aloud triumphantly, slamming the book down on the table. "This is exactly what I needed… and perhaps, I will get to share in the powers of the Dark Lord!"

* * *

"How was your holiday, Potter?"

Albus was in the Transfiguration Courtyard, brooding against the wall at the foot of the Astronomy Tower. He had been staring at the ground for the last ten minutes, blaming himself for the theft of the Elder Wand. It was day after he arrived at Hogwarts, and the last day of freedom before classes started again. Looking up, he saw with surprise it was Maxien who had spoken to him.

"Why do you want to know?" Albus said with a touch of animosity. Maxien's presence reminded him of Mirah, and that brought back confusing emotions he didn't want to deal with at the moment.

Maxien didn't react, and only regarded him calmly with his blue eyes, which somehow was light but dark at the same time. "I was only trying to be _polite_." he said coolly. "However I can see common courtesy is beneath you."

As Maxien turned to leave, Albus felt guilty. Much as he didn't want to admit it, he didn't really want to be Maxien's rival. Albus just wasn't the sort of person to hold grudges. He tried to accept everybody. Scorpius was a special case, he supposed, but lately, after the Halloween incident Albus wasn't sure how he felt about Scorpius anymore, either. "Wait," Albus finally called out. "Sorry, Maxien… I just had a lot on my mind. I apologize for being rude to you."

Lifting his eyebrow at Albus' use of his first name, Maxien replied, "You're forgiven."

"My holiday wasn't bad," Albus began, not wishing to tell anybody about the Horcrux. "My mum cooked a lot of stuff for Christmas, and I got a Firebolt 3000 from my dad."

"And you're going to be using that in Quidditch?" Maxien asked.

"Yes, it should be very useful when I play Chaser." Albus replied with a small smile. "How about you? How was Christmas?"

"It wasn't that bad," Maxien said. "A quiet affair, just with my mum and dad. I got a few gifts, but nothing special."

"I thought your parents are purebloods?" Albus asked curiously. "I mean, they're probably rich so why not throw a huge party and give you lots of gifts like the Malfoys?"

It was common knowledge that Scorpius Malfoy's parents threw extravagant parties at Christmas and showered their son with expensive presents, because Scorpius took every opportunity to brag about it, especially to Albus.

"I'm not Scorpius," Maxien said with a frown. "I may be a pureblood and belong to an ancient and noble house, but not everybody is like Scorpius Malfoy. I'm his friend, but I don't have to like every single one of his qualities. I can make my own decisions and judgements well enough. I'll have you know my parents are rich, but they prefer not to show off by throwing expensive parties."

Albus nodded in understanding. It was a new revelation to him, Albus thought. He always assumed that all pureblood families were alike, but this obviously wasn't so, like in Maxien's case.

"Right," Albus said. "I didn't mean to slight you; I was just curious."

"It's all right," Maxien smiled at Albus. "I have to get going now, though. There are things I need to do. See you around… Albus."

"See you," Albus said as Maxien left the Transfiguration Courtyard. Heaving a sigh, Albus thought that there was no use thinking too much about the Elder Wand. It was out of his hands, after all.

* * *

Walking around the school grounds, Albus proceeded to the lake, hoping–wanting–to see Mirah at the grove near it. He was not disappointed. Mirah was sitting against a thick willow tree, hugging her knees to her chest and staring out towards the lake.

"Hey," Albus greeted her as he approached.

Mirah looked up. Seeing Albus, she said, "Following me around, are you?"

Albus sighed inwardly, exasperated. "I was _not_ following you, Mirah." he said, sitting down beside her. "I just thought I'd see if you were here."

"Why?" Mirah asked, turning her head and looking right at him.

"I like talking to you," Albus shrugged. It was true; Albus did enjoy talking to Mirah, even though it seemed Mirah enjoyed brushing him off in equal measure.

"Really now," Mirah said sarcastically, tilting her head.

"Yeah, I do." Albus responded. "How was Christmas?"

"Not bad, I suppose," Mirah answered. "We went to visit my grandma's on Christmas day."

"Sounds nice." said Albus.

"Yeah, it was," Mirah agreed. "We had a huge Christmas dinner, and then after that my mum and I went shopping. We bought a lot of stuff. It was pretty fun."

"I see." Albus said uncertainly. He didn't understand girls and their obsession with shopping. Casting around for a subject of conversation, he said, "I got a new broomstick for Christmas, a Firebolt 3000."

"Did you?" Mirah said, looking a little bit surprised. "You're on the Quidditch team then?"

"Yes," Albus said proudly. "I'm Chaser and I've got the fastest broom on the team; thanks to my dad, of course."

"Yeah," Mirah muttered. "It's just like your dad to buy you a fast broom. Wasn't he a Seeker?"

Albus nodded. "You should know that, of course. He's _famous_." He grinned to show that he wasn't just being conceited.

"Mhm," Mirah said.

They sat in silence against the tree for a couple more moments. Then, without a word, Mirah got up, and left.

_What the bloody hell?_ Albus wondered as he watched Mirah walk back to the castle, her honey brown hair shining gold in the sunlight.

* * *

"How was it stolen?" Ron asked Harry, clasping him on the shoulder. Ron and Hermione had remained behind in the Auror Office, waiting for a chance to talk to Harry. Harry turned around, conjured three armchairs and gestured that they should sit.

When they all sat down, Harry told them about everything Albus had revealed to him during the Christmas holidays. By the end of his tale, both Hermione and Ron looked pale faced and shocked.

"Albus had the Elder Wand with him the whole time? He had it for _eight years?_" Hermione's voice rose into a shriek.

"Bloody hell," Ron swore. For once, Hermione did not reprimand him. "It's a wonder Albus hasn't been possessed before."

"Yeah," Harry sighed, thinking about what could have happened to his son. "Thank god…"

"What are we going to do?" Hermione whispered, looking at him fearfully.

"We can't do anything until we find the Horcrux." Harry replied, feeling frustrated. "At least it can't be used as a wand… the Horcrux would have eventually corrupted the wand's magic, and render it useless for now."

They said nothing, staring at each other in silence, Hermione's and Ron's eyes wide, and Harry's eyes weary. Harry sighed and said, "Hermione… Ron… I'm so sorry…"

"For what?" Ron said, looking confused. "You didn't do anything wrong, mate."

"It's all my fault!" Harry burst out. "The Elder Wand became a Horcrux and I didn't do anything about it! My son could have been possessed… he could have died! And now, now Voldemort will be resurrected again because of _me_!"

"Hang on," Ron said sharply, "This _is not_ your fault."

"I completely agree with Ron," Hermione added. "You didn't know the Elder Wand became a Horcrux, and Albus is perfectly okay. You can't do anything about Voldemort either because you're not the one that's planning to resurrect him!"

Harry slumped down lower in his chair. "I suppose you're right," Harry said quietly, "But I just feel so helpless… I can't do anything because I don't know anything more than the rest of you. It's my job to kill Voldemort… it always has been… and this time, I will make sure he won't come back, _ever_, for the safety of my family… for Albus, James and Lily… for you two… for Ginny. For the Wizarding world. Everybody." A single tear escaped his emerald green eyes and slid down his cheek.

"Oh Harry," Hermione said, tears pouring down her face as she gazed at Harry. She got up, pulled him out of his chair and drew her best friend into a hug, joined by Ron a moment later. It was a long time before any of them let go, knowing that in light of the impending situation, every moment they had together might very well be the last.

* * *

**A/N:** Wow, it was so fun writing about the Golden Trio!  
I think I'm reasonably pleased at how this chapter turned out. It's more of an emotion-wise chapter than action, but of course, there will be action in the further chapters.  
I know I said that Harry would visit Dumbledore's portrait this chapter, but I'm going to save it for the next one, where there will be a very different type of action...  
QUIDDITCH! Yeah, Quidditch!

And there's your dose of Maxien and Mirah ;)

**~*REVIEW!*~**


	16. Chapter 15: The Relic

**A/N:** It took me longer to write this than I thought I would. Actually, it was just that starting off was hard, because I had a sudden lack of motivation.  
I only really started writing it because of **Ravenclaw's Redhead**; she doesn't know it, but it was her enthusiasm which made me write. Thanks.

This is a chapter with action this time (*gasp*). I know, I don't usually have those kind of chapters, seeing as the storyline doesn't require it until much later, but it is interesting writing about Harry again. So just as a preemptive, this **will not** turn into a Harry!fic. No worries here. Alright, let's just get on with the story.

* * *

Chapter Fifteen – The Relic

"Walk you to Charms again?" Albus asked Mirah. It was a few weeks after they returned from their holiday. The snow was finally beginning to melt, and patches of green grass were peeking through the blanket of frozen wet whiteness. Mirah appeared to become more comfortable with Albus, talking to him more, sometimes animatedly, and laughing while she talked.

Mirah looked at him and just shrugged her shoulders in assent. It was moments like this that Albus felt that Mirah couldn't care less about him. Sometimes he wondered if she spared a thought about him walking her to class. Did it mean anything to her?

_Probably not,_ Albus thought. _She seems like she doesn't even care anyway. Offering to walk her to class most likely means nothing to her… she probably has better things to think about than me. _

They set off in silence towards Professor Flitwick's Charms classroom. Albus politely let Mirah go out the door first.

As Albus chatted with Mirah, he noted that she seemed more withdrawn than usual. He didn't know how to bring it up, and so tried to ignore it, even though he wanted to ask her about it more than anything.

"Albus!" came a familiar voice from behind them. Turning around to look, Albus saw with surprise that it was his dad, waving at him from the end of the corridor.

"Isn't that your dad?" Mirah asked in recognition.

"Yeah, it is," Albus whispered to her, and then to his dad, "What are you doing here, dad?"

Walking over to him and pulling Albus into a hug, Harry whispered into his ear, "I'm stopping by Minerva's office to have a chat with Dumbledore… you know, about the Horcrux."

"Oh okay," Albus said, shame coursing through him just like every other time the Horcrux was mentioned. Extricating himself from his father's arms, he said, "I'm really sorry about that, dad."

Harry smiled and responded, "Don't worry about it, Al. Well, I'm off to the seventh floor!" As he eyed Mirah inquisitively, who met his look with a bold gaze, he said to Albus, "Stay safe… I can see you have a lot to tell me about later, too!" Harry shot a wink at Albus, and left.

"What was that all about?" Mirah asked after Albus' father had left. "What's he doing here?"

"He's just visiting Professor McGonagall," Albus said half-truthfully. He didn't want to mention that his father was going to talk to Albus Dumbledore's portrait, which would have led to questions he didn't want to answer. Somehow, Albus didn't think that "Oh, you know, my father just likes to pop in and chat with a portrait occasionally" would work.

"I see," Mirah said as they resumed walking to her Charms classroom. As they reached it, Albus saw that Maxien was waiting by the door, leaning against the wall.

"Albus," Maxien greeted him with a nod. "…Mirah."

"Hello," Mirah said, while Albus returned Maxien's nod.

"So anyway," Maxien drawled, sounding for a moment like Scorpius, "Mirah, I wanted to ask you something."

Mirah looked at him questioningly and said, "Alright."

"Hogsmeade weekend is coming up," Maxien began. "Would you please accept my invitation to accompany me on Saturday?" The last part was said in a formal tone.

Albus began to feel angry. _How dare Maxien ask her out? _Albus thought furiously. He waited with bated breath for Mirah's response.

Mirah appeared to consider it for a moment, and then nodded. "Sure."

Albus didn't wait around to hear anything more. Turning on his heel, he strode away, feeling hurt and numb at the same time. He didn't care where he was going; he just wanted to get out of there. His feet led him to the Gryffindor Tower.

"Perseverance," Albus said dully to the portrait of the Fat Lady, which swung open to admit him.

Entering his dormitory, Albus sank down onto his bed, hugging his knees to his chest, and cried bitter tears, the feeling of betrayal and hurt overwhelming him. Even though Albus knew that they were just friends, and most likely that was all he could be to her, he still loved Mirah. Hearing her accept Maxien's invitation for a date completely crushed him.

Sitting on the bed, rocking back and forth slightly as he cried, he didn't care that he was supposed to be in Divination. He didn't care if anybody happened to see him or hear him. Albus just wanted to be alone.

* * *

"Minerva!" Harry said with a smile as he finally caught sight of her.

Minerva McGonagall turned around in surprise. "What are you doing here, Harry?"

"I need to have a chat with Professor Dumbledore's portrait," Harry replied. "I was hoping you could give me the password to your office?"

Minerva gave him a look of understanding. "Of course I will. It's 'Canary Cream'."

Chuckling at the password Minerva had set, Harry said, "Thank you."

"My pleasure," Minerva replied. "Do visit again, won't you?"

"Of course," Harry said as he set off towards the seventh floor.

After he arrived, he gave the gargoyles the password, and they sprang aside, giving him access to the long, winding staircase behind them. He opened the door to Minerva McGonagall's office, and entered; his eyes only on the portrait behind her desk.

"Ah, Harry," the portrait of Albus Dumbledore said with a smile. "It's good to see you again."

"Likewise, sir," Harry replied. "But this is not a casual visit. I need your… guidance."

Dumbledore was suddenly serious. "Of course," he replied. "Talk away."

So Harry told him everything about the new Horcrux, and his son. By the end of his tale, both of them had slow tears leaking down their cheeks; Dumbledore's, a painted tear dripped off of his crooked nose.

"I am so sorry I did not foresee this, Harry," Dumbledore replied heavily. "I never thought it was possible that Tom's soul could be further mutilated, but I make mistakes as much as the next man. For this, I express my deepest condolences that your son had been placed in such danger."

Harry nodded mutely, unable to speak. Recounting the story had taken much energy out of him. When he was able to find his voice again, he said, "But what of the Horcrux? What am I supposed to do?"

"They do not call you the Chosen One for nothing, Harry," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling full-force even within the painted visage of his portrait. "I am simply an old man in a portrait. What must be done, Harry, must be done by you."

Harry nodded in understanding. "I know. I've always known that I would be the one to take out Voldemort permanently. It doesn't make it any easier, though."

"Facing old enemies is never easy," Dumbledore replied. "I have my full faith in you, and I believe that you will see this through, to the very end."

Gratitude filled Harry, warming him. He nodded as he stood up to leave, swallowing more tears, and said, "Thank you for your advice, professor."

"I'm always glad to help," Dumbledore said simply. "However I can."

* * *

Sitting in his office later that evening, Harry thought back to his conversation with the portrait of Albus Dumbledore. Understandably, Dumbledore was shocked and saddened that another Horcrux of Voldemort existed and had offered his condolences that so much unseen danger had been around Harry's son.

"_I am now simply an old man in a portrait,"_ Dumbledore had said to him. _"What must be done, Harry, must be done by you."_

Harry's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by his door bursting open. His wand was already in his hand and pointed at the man who had ran in before he registered that it was only one of the Aurors he had assigned to track Death Eaters.

"Sir, Death Eaters converging on a house in the southern area of Essex!" the man spoke quickly, and then gave Harry the coordinates for apparation.

"Numbers?" Harry asked quickly.

"A group of five Death Eaters," the man replied.

"Come with me," Harry said, striding out the door and into the conference room of the Auror Office. Pulling a galleon out of his pocket, he touched it, pressing the middle of the coin. It glowed white-hot for a few seconds, heating up in his palm, and then returned to its normal appearance.

The coin was based on the ones they used back when the DA was still active. After being instated as Head Auror, Harry had asked Hermione to make a version for his Aurors as well. They were charmed so that it would show the location of where the holder was, if pressed, among other useful features.

A minute later eight, other Aurors, including Ron, entered the conference room, all looking alert. They knew that Harry would not have summoned them with the coins for anything less than an attack.

"Slade here has told me about an ongoing Death Eater attack taking place in southern Essex." Harry said without preamble, gesturing at the man who had warned him about the attack. "I'm updating your coins with the location's coordinates. We will meet in the designated point in thirty seconds. Go."

"You reckon something big is happening?" Ron asked, approaching Harry as the Aurors Disapparated away.

"I don't know," Harry replied, "But it's our job to stop them. Let's go."

Ron nodded, and turned on his heel, Disapparating, with Harry following suit a second later.

Gasping for air after being compressed through space, Harry appeared with a _crack_ at the end of a dark street where the targeted house was. The other eight Aurors, including Ron, was waiting for Harry under a lamp post. Ron according to routine had already put out all the lights with his Deluminator.

"Which house?" Harry asked Slade.

Pointing, Slade replied, "The blue one over there, with that petunia flowerbed by the porch."

The house in question was lit up, and the door was open, spilling its orange light out onto the porch and the driveway.

"Setting up Silencing Charms around the house now," Harry said, casting the charm non-verbally. The precautions they took were routine for every mission. It was lucky he did it then because at that moment, as they watched the house, the windows shattered simultaneously and flashes of light could be seen – people duelling each other within.

"Move, move!" Harry commanded. Together they all set out towards the house. As they entered the boundaries of the Silencing Charms, shouts broke the silence.

"You're never getting it!" Harry heard a man yell from the second floor of the house.

"You fool! Then we will take it from your cold, dead hands!" Somebody in the house yelled back.

Harry beckoned silently that they should move quietly into the house. Walking up the porch and pushing the door open with his hand, he saw a cloaked and hooded Death Eater standing guard at the foot of the stairs, presumably to prevent any escape. Deducing that the other four Death Eaters were upstairs, he sent a silent Stunner towards the Death Eater's back, who crumpled to the ground, his wand clattering on the wooden floor.

"No! Clarissa!" Harry heard a scream of anguish from above as a _bang_ sounded. "You bastards, I'll kill the lot of you!"

The only response was mocking laughs from the Death Eaters above.

"Don't be stupid," another voice said after the laughter ended, this one sounding hard and cruel. "You may hand over the relic and we can go, or we'll finish her and you afterwards."

"Go, go!" Harry mouthed silently to his team as he cast a Silencing Charm on the staircase. Ascending it with his Aurors following behind him, he saw three hooded Death Eaters in a line in front of the staircase, blocking it, and one solitary Death Eater in front. The man they were facing looked to be in his eighties, just about over middle aged for a wizard. The man had tan skin and short brown hair with gray lines showing through it. His wand was pointed at the Death Eaters, whose wands were pointed at him as well. In his other hand, he was holding what looked like a strangely shaped stone, larger than his palm, etched with a single rune. Behind him, near his feet, lay a crumpled female figure. Harry's blood ran cold at the sight.

_She can't be dead… don't let her be dead._ Harry thought fervently, and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw that the woman's chest was still rising up and down. She was merely Stunned, after all.

"_Stupefy!_" the man yelled suddenly. "_Stupefy, Stupefy, Stupefy!_" Four jets of red lights shot at the Death Eaters. The one standing in front, who Harry supposed was the leader, simply laughed and cast a non-verbal Shield Charm, causing the Stunners to rebound harmlessly.

"You insist on being a fool," the lead Death Eater said, his voice suddenly sounding dangerous. "So be it. _Avada Kedavra!_"

Harry instinctively acted as the jet of green light shot out towards the defenceless man. From the stairs, he silently sent a table in the room flying, intercepting the Killing Curse. The table then burst into flames in midair and disintegrated.

The Death Eaters spun around in surprise, but Harry didn't stop there. He sent out Stunners towards them, one hitting its mark and knocking a Death Eater unconscious, but the others acted in time to protect themselves, casting Shield Charms.

"Ah, _Harry Potter_." The lead Death Eater said maliciously, his hazel eyes gleaming wickedly. "Come to arrest us, have you? What did you do with my sentry?"

"I've Stunned him. And as for you, you'll be spending the rest of your lives in Azkaban, you Death Eater." Harry spat venomously. "_Petrificus Totalus!_"

The Body-Bind Curse was blocked, but from there, the battle began. The leader of the Death Eaters sent a Blasting Curse towards Harry and his team, who threw themselves onto the ground simultaneously to avoid it. The curse hit the wall on the side of the staircase, causing it to explode, leaving a large, rugged hole, revealing the pipes within.

Harry retaliated by sending a Bone-Breaking Curse towards the Death Eater, who parried it and directed a stream of fire towards him. Harry quickly Vanished the fire before it could spread, but received a laceration to his side due to a Cutting Curse, a less potent version of _Sectumsempra_.

All around them the Aurors were battling the Death Eaters, who were largely outnumbered. Ron, his face pale but determined, was sending out Bone-Breaking Curses and Stunners one after the other.

"Go!" Harry yelled at the man the Death Eaters were after as he blocked a Stunning Spell. "Get out of here!"

"No, I can't!" The man yelled back, shielding himself behind a couch. He had carried his wife to safety behind it as well. "I need to protect the relic – it's an ancient heirloom! And I've got a baby to think about!"

"A baby?" Harry asked in surprise.

As Harry blocked a Killing Curse by intercepting it with a lamp and sent back a Stunner, the man replied. "I gave her to my sister today to babysit her; she's only four years old."

"You'll be safer if you left," Harry said, but the man shook his head resolutely.

"Not while my Clarissa is unconscious. I can't just leave her here and I can't carry her out while you're battling."

Harry suddenly became angry at the Death Eaters. "How dare you," he snarled at the Death Eater as he sent a flurry of spells towards him, "How dare you attack a _family_! Have you no heart? Would you like it if I murdered your mother? Your family?"

The Death Eater only laughed mockingly, dispelling some of Harry's spells, blocking some and side stepping the remaining ones. "You're quite right, I do have no heart. I could care less whether I killed a homeless wizard or one with twenty children. And as for my mother, I've already killed her! I've killed my whole family!" He laughed again, sounding quite evil this time, sending a chill down Harry's back.

The other Aurors, who had heard what the Death Eater said, emitted cries of outrage and shock at the heartlessness and cruelness of his statement. They switched their attentions to him instead, spells from all ten of them, including Harry, aimed at the leader of the Death Eaters.

Realizing the situation he was in, the Death Eater raised a shield which blocked half the spells then shattered, but another Death Eater immediately raised another shield to protect him, weaker than the lead Death Eater's Shield Charm but still managed to block another three spells before shattering. The remaining curses slammed into the lead Death Eater full-force. One was a Cutting Curse, which ripped his fabric of his robes on the shoulder and cut deep into it, drawing copious amounts of blood. The other was a Bone-Breaking Curse which had hit his leg, the _crack_ sounding sharp and painful.

The leader of the Death Eaters screamed out in pain and anger, his leg bent at an awkward anger as he switched his weight to the other side. He knew that he was fighting a losing battle now. It was ten Aurors against five Death Eaters, two of which were already unconscious.

"Retreat," the Death Eater growled in fury. "You know what to do."

The other two Death Eaters pointed their wands at the floor simultaneously along with their leader. "_Confringo!_" Three voices chorused in unison. Harry, his team of Aurors, and the man they were fighting for had no time to react as the world exploded around them. The air was rent with the sound of the explosion and they were all knocked off of their feet. Dimly, Harry registered the stone flying from the man's hand and skittering on the floor, and the lead Death Eater picking it up, and then Disapparating away along with the other two Death Eaters.

It was a few moments before he could pick himself up off his feet. His eardrums were ringing from the explosion. Harry, being closest to the Death Eaters had received the full brunt of the Blasting Curse. A steady, burning pain in his left arm told him that it was dislocated, and the laceration on his side he had received was bleeding even more.

Gazing around, clutching his side to stem the flow of blood, Harry saw that most of the eastern section of the second floor had been blown apart, the starry night sky visible. Harry was suddenly and forcefully reminded of his parent's house at Godric's Hollow.

He tried to speak to Ron, but no sound came out of his mouth. Ron shook his head and mouthed, "_Can't hear you._"

McHale, one of the Aurors on his team specializing in Healing magic pointed his wand at Harry and cast a non-verbal spell. Harry felt his eardrums go _pop_ as sound came rushing back into his ears. McHale then healed the cut on his side and popped his shoulder back into place. McHale then performed the ear repairing spell on everybody else in the room before fixing any other injuries they had. When their ears were back to normal and their injuries were more or less healed, Harry said gratefully, "Thank you, McHale."

McHale nodded, and went to check on the man's wife. "She'll be alright," he murmured to the man. "What's your name?"

The man swallowed a gulp of air and then responded, "Name's Kurt Harris."

McHale nodded and continued, "Kurt, your wife received a minor concussion to the head when she hit the floor. I advise against _Rennervating_ her. Instead, bring her to St. Mungo's and let her wake naturally."

Kurt Harris nodded, and looked at Harry. "Thank you for saving us," he said simply, picking up his wife and laying her gently down on the couch which he had set right side up moments before.

Harry nodded, fighting down the flood of emotions that threatened to engulf him. "You have a family," he replied. "A wife… and a baby to think about. If either of you died… well, no child should have to take that burden."

Ron gave Harry a look of kind understanding. Harry continued, switching topics, "What was that thing they were after?"

"It was an heirloom passed down since thirteen generations ago. I never knew what it was, exactly. I just knew that it was valuable… not in terms of money, but in what it was."

"There was a rune etched on it. Do you know what it was?"

"I was never one for Runes," Kurt laughed. "When I went to Hogwarts, I wasn't really interested in that subject."

"Do you think you could draw it for me?"

"Yes, that won't be a problem." Kurt grabbed a piece of parchment among the debris caused by the explosion. He summoned a quill and an inkpot, and righted a table which had been knocked askew. He quickly sketched a symbol on the paper, and gave it to Harry.

Harry glanced at it, but having not taken Runes in Hogwarts like Kurt, he could not decipher it. "I'll take it back to the Ministry and get Hermione to translate it." Harry said to his team of Aurors.

"And I'll have the DMLE send a team out to repair all the damage, and arrest the Death Eaters the leader ditched." Ron added.

Harry looked around the heavily damaged room, sighing before he said, "We must head back."

"Thank you again for all your help," Kurt said.

"I was glad to," Harry replied and Disapparated away, back to the Ministry, his team of Aurors following behind him.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope this chapter did Harry some justice. I'm not very good at writing, so your criticism will be understandable.

**~*REVIEW!*~**


	17. Chapter 16: You Like Me, Don't You

**A/N**: Here it is, Chapter 16! This is a shorter chapter, with only 3000 words, but it was hard to write for some mysterious reason.  
The intrigue builds, and the plot thickens!

Brings back a lot of memories, this does. On with the chapter.

* * *

Chapter Sixteen – "You Like Me, Don't You"

It was Saturday, and Albus was in a less than pleasant mood. He had been silent as the group walked to Hogsmeade in the morning. Eli had accompanied him along with Lily and Rose, who went their separate ways upon arrival at the village to do "girl things". Eli had tried to get Albus to relax and have fun but Albus was having none of it.

"You know perfectly well why I'm in a bad mood, Eli," Albus snapped after what seemed like Eli's fifth attempt to get Albus to cheer up. "And as long as I'm thinking about _her_ I'm stuck in this bad mood but when I try not to think about her, she keeps popping back into my mind and it's just so _frustrating_!"

Eli grimaced sympathetically. "You must feel really cut up about it."

"Bloody hell, yes I'm cut up about it!" Albus exclaimed, and suddenly words came rushing out of him. "First she told me that she wasn't planning on dating and then the next thing I know she agrees to go out with Maxien-bloody-Zabini! I mean I know Mirah and I are just good friends but… but… I _love her_." Albus said the last sentence in a defeated whisper. "And while we're out here in Hogsmeade, which is also in the same village where Maxien and Mirah are, I just keep imagining them in someplace like Madam Puddifoot's! Thinking about them… Mirah with him, just… _hurts_, you know?"

"Yeah," Eli said quietly, imagining a world where he loved Lily but Lily didn't love him back. "I can imagine."

Nothing was said for a few moments as they trudged along a lane speckled with a few students in the distance.

"Look," Albus said, exhaling a shaky sigh, "I should probably get back to the castle, alright? I can tell I'm being a complete downer, and I don't want to ruin your day out. Go find Lily and Rose; I'm sure they'll be better company than I'm being."

Eli opened his mouth, presumably to argue, but Albus just shook his head forcefully. "Please don't, Eli. All this," Albus gestured vaguely at the cool, crisp air, the golden sunshine, the singing birds, the buildings and the excited students, "somehow reminds me of _her_. I'm sorry; I really am, but…" He trailed off into silence.

Giving Albus a one-armed hug, Eli said reassuringly, "It's okay, Albus. You don't have to feel guilty or anything. Go back to the castle and do whatever you want. I'll come find you when we get back, alright?"

Albus mumbled in acquiescence and turned back towards the castle, leaving Eli to find Lily and Rose and explain to them about Albus.

* * *

He didn't know why he was doing it. Why was he so compelled to wait around the gates of Hogwarts, right around the time when he _knew_ the students were due to return from Hogsmeade? A part of his brain was angrily berating him, telling him that he was being stupid and that he should just turn away and save himself further pain.

Albus supposed that he wanted to hurt himself in some way. Maybe, just maybe, if he saw _them_ together, he'd be struck with the finality of the situation; the fact that Maxien was in fact, dating Mirah. Maybe he would be so hurt by Mirah that he would want nothing to do with her.

Albus loitered around underneath an oak tree, pretending to examine an interesting patch of grass near his feet, but was in fact looking at the gate out of the top of his eyes. A sudden, clear laugh broke the silence, stabbing into his heart at the same time as it did so. He could see them, and he was drawn to look at them, or rather, Mirah. Raising his head slightly, Albus' eyes flickered towards the couple. Mirah was talking happily to Maxien, looking like she was full of energy. Being energetic was actually a surprising quality for Mirah, at least in Albus' perspective. When Albus had first talked to her, she seemed moody, but as they became better friends Albus found that Mirah was actually a fun person to be around.

Flicking his eyes away immediately, turning his head to look at the far off tree line of the Forbidden Forest, he closed his eyes and reviewed what he had just seen. Mirah had been laughing with a smiling Maxien. She was dressed in a robe of sky blue, and a cloak of shimmering navy blue hung on her shoulders. Albus didn't care what Maxien was wearing. In his mind's eyes, he saw only _her_, laughing and smiling, her auburn hair swishing as she turned her head towards Maxien. They had not been holding hands at least, but they had been walking closely together, their arms brushing. It hurt, yes, but wanting nothing to do with her did not cross his mind, even for a second.

_Enough of this,_ Albus snapped at himself. _Just stop._

Stop what, Albus didn't know, but a casual observer might have noticed Albus heaving a painful sigh before walking back towards the castle quickly. A more observant one might have seen Mirah glance at his retreating form. An exceptionally observant person might have seen the sadness filling Albus' emerald-green eyes as he left, shining brightly as he fought to keep down the tears that wouldn't come.

* * *

"I've never seen this before," Hermione said tiredly, absentmindedly tracing the sketched rune with her finger. Harry was in Hermione's brightly lit and organized office, discussing the rune Harris had drawn for them. "It's not Germanic in origin, or the more common Elder Futhark runes used in Italy, nor is it Phoenician."

"Older variants, then?" Harry stated.

"Possibly," Hermione said, biting her lip. "I'll have to do more research…" Clearing away her papers, she looked up at Harry. "I'm glad you weren't too injured, you know."

"Thanks, 'Mione." Harry said sincerely. "We had to send out a team of Obliviators to wipe the neighbouring Muggles' minds, though. Some of them saw the explosion and the 'strange flashes of light'. I also dispatched a team from the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes to fix the damage caused by the explosions in the house, so all in all, it was a pretty good job." Harry finished.

"The relic has to be important, though," Hermione said, staring at the sketched rune again. "Otherwise the Death Eaters wouldn't have taken it."

"True," Harry conceded. "We also know that this wasn't a random job either, because this is the first incident of its kind recently, and the Death Eaters were specifically asking for the relic."

"Yeah, and that's a bigger mystery in itself. Why are they after it?" Hermione pondered, and then sighed. "I wish I was with Ron… we barely have time for each other after work, and taking advantage of our alone time when we should be sleeping leaves me dead tired in the morning."

Harry grimaced jokingly. "Too much information, 'Mione. It's nothing an Invigoration Draught won't cure, though." He smirked at a blushing Hermione.

"Sorry, I forgot myself for a moment," Hermione mumbled. Clearing her throat, she said, "You should come around for dinner sometime next week. Of course we'll be inviting Andromeda and Teddy too."

"That's a great idea," Harry smiled. "I'll get back to you on that after I sort out my schedule."

"See you later, Harry," Hermione said as he began to leave. "I'll give you a shout through the floo if I find anything."

"Alright, thanks," Harry responded as he left Hermione's office.

* * *

"Albus?" A voice Albus instantly recognized spoke to him, as he sat at the base of an oak tree, in the grove by the lake. He looked up to see Mirah looking at him. The sight of her brought a smile to his face which was wiped off just as quickly as he remembered what he saw that late afternoon. "What are you doing here?"

"I can leave, if you'd like," Albus said immediately, getting up and brushing off his robes. "I'm sorry, I just wanted somewhere where I could be alone and this was the first place that sprang to mind."

"No, it's alright," Mirah answered, "Stay, if you want; unless… you said you want to be left alone?"

Sitting back down, Albus said, "I'm fine." Mirah was here after all, and Albus somehow didn't want to leave when she was in his presence.

Mirah sat down beside him, and both of them stared out towards the lake for a few moments. The silence was broken when she asked, "Why didn't you didn't go to Hogsmeade today? I saw you near the entrance when we returned."

"I did go," Albus replied, while his mind lingered on the phrase "when _we_ returned". "I mean, I went there, but I came back a little while after."

"Why?" Mirah asked curiously.

Albus turned red as he struggled for something to say. "Well… erm, ah… I just didn't feel like going to Hogsmeade, to be honest."

_Or at least, partly honest,_ Albus finished to himself.

"You like me, don't you." Mirah stated bluntly. When Albus began stammering and spluttering, she said, "Oh, come off it! You're not exactly surreptitious about it."

"H-how did you know, then?" Albus said, blushing furiously, feeling very embarrassed.

"We've been in some of the same classes together since our third year," Mirah explained. "You've never… or rather, we've never talked to each other. And suddenly this year, you decide to talk to me, and hang out with me? If that's not obvious, I don't know what is."

"Maybe a screaming declaration of 'I love you'?" Albus suggested half-heartedly, and half-jokingly. He took a breath as he prepared for what he was about to say. "I do love you, Mirah. I'm in love with you, and it's not a schoolboy crush. I'm telling you this now just so I can get it over with… You probably want to stop talking with me, and hanging out with me anyway."

"You're a good friend, Albus," Mirah said immediately. "That's probably all you'll ever be, but I like your company. I won't stop talking to you and let things get awkward between us just because you like me."

Albus nodded in acceptance, feeling a small measure of joy at Mirah's words, but also pain, especially because of the first part. Thoughts swirled inside his head, so many at once that he could not decipher them, only feeling the bitter emotions they gave him which blanketed the joy. He felt tears well up in his eyes, but told himself firmly not to cry. Not in front of Mirah.

"What are you thinking?" Mirah asked, watching Albus concernedly.

"You said you weren't going to date anyone, until at least after you graduate from Hogwarts," Albus spat out with a hint of venom, that particular thought being on the forefront of his mind. "You can't imagine how I was feeling… I was confused, shocked, a little bit angry, but most of all really hurt. When I saw you with Maxien, it felt like I was_ physically_ being hurt, like a blow to my heart." Albus had no desire to hide his feelings from Mirah anymore. Now that she knew that he loved her, Albus wanted to tell her everything, even if it drove Mirah away. And if it did… maybe it would be for the best.

"I… I'm sorry," Mirah said quietly. "I know what I'm going to say next is going to sound completely stupid, pathetic and defensive, but I want to give you a proper response."

"Okay," Albus whispered. He didn't know if he had enough energy for anything more than that.

"Honestly, I didn't really like Maxien at first." Mirah said, "But things change, Albus. I never thought I would like him, but I do, and for the first time, somebody likes me back. Sorry, Al, but you told me you didn't really plan on going into a relationship until after you graduate, but if I returned your feelings, would _you_ have waited?"

Albus lowered his head, knowing the answer. He would not have waited, but then again _would_ Mirah have returned his feelings? Would she ever return his feelings?

"I'm really sorry, Albus," Mirah said, her voice softening. "In a way, I know how you feel, but I'm not going to go into that."

"Please don't apologize," Albus said shortly. He wasn't trying to hurt Mirah, but he couldn't imagine that anybody else could know how he felt.

"Obviously, I'm going to," Mirah said, her voice still quiet. "You don't have to accept my apologies, though. You can even hate me for them, if you want, but I just want you to know I wasn't trying to hurt you. I care for you, you know. You _are_ a good friend, not just to me, but to everybody. I've seen you sometimes, and I know that you care about everybody else perhaps as much as you care about me."

"I blame the Potter blood," Albus said with a small smile, slightly mollified by Mirah's declaration – that she cared. "I'm sorry for… I dunno, complicating your life. I should be happy for you, happy that you're dating Maxien, and happy that he makes _you_ happy."

"I'm glad you told me how you were feeling," Mirah said sincerely, looking Albus straight into his eyes. "It just wouldn't have been you if you kept it hidden from everyone. I like that bit about you, Albus. You say what you feel."

"Again, I blame the Potter blood," Albus said, and his previous pains were lessened. The fact that Maxien was going out with Mirah would always hang like a raincloud over his head, constantly darkening his day, but most of the pain that came with it was gone. "I really am sorry, though, Mirah. I complicate your life unnecessarily, and I overreacted."

"If anyone should be apologizing it should be me," Mirah replied, picking at lint on her sleeve. "It might not make a difference to you, because I know I've hurt you, and no matter how many times I do apologize, it probably won't be enough. _You_ might want to stop being friends with me, but I really do hope we can stay friends, Albus. You did nothing wrong, and you reacted normally given the situation."

"I don't want to stop being friends with you," Albus replied, his voice marginally stronger. He felt like he was being selfish; if Mirah didn't return his feelings, then the only thing left would be to just remain as friends. "I just wish…" He let the spoken thought trail off, but Mirah understood.

"You probably don't want to hear this," Mirah said gently, "But I hope someday that something changes, something that makes me realize how stupid I've been and how I've loved you all this time."

"Both you and I know what the chances are of _that_ happening," Albus said with a lopsided smile. He felt strange inside. His emotions were swirling again, but it seemed like the negative feelings constantly warred with the good, making him feel a little happy one second and sad the next.

"Still…" Mirah said, reaching over and squeezing his arm softly. "You really are a good friend, Albus. I know you are, and don't you doubt that for a second."

She stood up, brushing away the stray strands of grass which had stuck to her robes. "I'm going to head back to the castle. See you in DADA."

"Bye," Albus responded as Mirah left, watching her form as she walked back, not focusing on any part of her in general, but just letting her become a vague figure in his line of vision. He sighed quietly, and decided that he would have to go find Eli. He had a lot of apologizing to do, mainly for ditching him.

* * *

In a place unknown to anybody else, a lone person was preparing. The place in question was a cold and foreboding place, dimly lit by torches hanging from brackets. It used to be a torture dungeon in simpler times. The walls were built with rough blocks of granite, from which hung three sets of chains and manacles, slightly rusty from disuse, although the ambient magic permeating the air had kept the room in good condition. The floor was also made of granite, but it wasn't blocky or uneven like the walls were, being relatively flat.

The lone, cloaked figure held up a large bag full of powdered chalk. Taking what looked like an ancient sacrificial dagger, he cut off the corner of the bag. Immediately the chalk started to trickle out. The man let the falling chalk draw a pattern on the ground, forming a pentagram of several meters across. When he finished, he placed a stone marked with a single rune in the center of the chalk pentagram.

Raising the knife yet again, he cut his palm, letting a few drops drip right on the etched rune which was facing upwards. The rune momentarily glowed a strange red, before settling back to normal. The man's hazel eyes gleamed in satisfaction as he cast a stasis charm on the stone with his wand. The first step had been finished. Turning on his heels the lone man Apparated away, the next step the only thing on his mind.

* * *

**A/N**: And there we have it, Chapter 16. Next chapter, we're going to see things from Maxien and Scorpius' point of view. What do they get up to while Albus and friends are doing their things?


	18. Chapter 17: Shades of Green

**A/N:** Here's another chapter, and this time just a bit different. "Between Two Snakes" presents the view of Scorpius and Maxien.  
What are the two snakes really like?

This chapter is dedicated to **Ravenclaw's Redhead**, who gave me the idea to write about our two Slytherin friends.

* * *

Chapter Seventeen – Shades of Green

"_Potter_." Scorpius Malfoy muttered ferociously, pacing back and forth in front of the Slytherin Common Room's fireplace. "Of all the people–"

_Why him?_ he thought resentfully. _Why did _he_ have to save me?_

Scorpius owed Albus Potter now, and it was a life-debt on top of that. How could Scorpius continue on hating and taunting Albus in good conscience when he had saved his life? Remembering the day they had begun hating each other, Scorpius sighed.

_It was an overcast day, and the sun was blanketed by the clouds, casting shade on an impressive looking manor. Inside the wrought-iron gates, two albino peacocks strutted about on the neat, even grass of the garden, at the centre of which was a delicate fountain. A tall, thin man with pale skin, a pointed face, grey eyes and short blond hair stood on the path leading from the great double doors of the manor to the gate, waiting._

_ A _crack_ echoed through the air as a group of three people materialized just on the other side of the black gates. One was a young woman with freckled skin, flaming red hair and cautious brown eyes. The child clutching tightly to her hand had untidy black hair and emerald green eyes. The man standing next to the child also had untidy black hair and emerald green eyes, with one big difference. He had a scar on his forehead, in the shape of a lightning bolt._

_ The blonde man with the grey eyes waved a hand at the gate, which swung open slowly. The family walked inside, stopping when they reached the man. After a few seconds of consideration, the man spoke._

_ "Pott–Harry… Ginny. Welcome to Malfoy Manor."_

_ "Draco." Harry replied, nodding in greeting. "Thanks for inviting us."_

_ "Yes, thanks for inviting us to visit." Ginny agreed, her eyes still cautious._

_ "My pleasure," Draco replied, no trace of animosity in his voice. "My wife is out at the moment, and she wishes that I express her apology that she is unable to be here."_

_ "I'm hungry," the black-haired child complained, tugging on his mother's hand._

_ "Hush, Albus." Ginny said, patting her son's head gently. Draco lifted an eyebrow._

_ "Albus Severus Potter," Harry said proudly, placing a hand on Albus' shoulder. "Named after two of the greatest Hogwarts Headmasters. My other two children–Lily and James–couldn't make it. They're at Luna's."_

_ "I should introduce you to my son as well, then." Draco said, and then called out towards the direction of the manor. "Scorpius! Come here! We have guests!"_

_ A young child came out of the great double doors of Malfoy Manor. The child resembled Draco in every single way, with the same pale, pointed face, blond hair and grey eyes. The child looked at the visitors cautiously._

_ "Scorpius, these are the Potters." Draco introduced. "Ginny Potter, Harry Potter, and this boy your age is Albus Severus Potter. I believe he is in your year at Hogwarts. Have you two ever talked?"_

_Albus and Scorpius both shook their heads, eyeing each other. The rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin was still fresh, especially between the first years, who had been taught to dislike each other on principle._

"_Well, why don't you two get to know each other while we have a round of butterbeer?" Draco suggested._

_ As Draco conjured a set of chairs and a table, a house-elf appeared with a _crack,_ setting a bottle of butterbeer and three goblets on the table before disappearing again. Meanwhile, the two boys found themselves alone as the adults began chatting. _

"_Hello," Scorpius Malfoy said, holding his small hand out for Albus to shake. "My name's Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy."_

_Albus took the offered hand and shook, but could not hide the snort that escaped his mouth. Scorpius' cheek took on a pink tinge. "You think my name's funny, do you?"_

"_Sort of."_

"_Yeah well, what about your name?" Scorpius retorted. "Albus Severus Potter… do your parents _want_ you to be laughed at all your life? At least my name's cooler."_

"_No it isn't; it's stupid." Albus shot back._

"Your _name is stupid!" Scorpius said, raising his fists. "So is your last name – Potter, what is that, a kind of toilet? Feel like going to the potty?"_

"_Shut up!" Albus yelled, tackling Scorpius, intent on making him pay for the slight on his family name. Blows were furiously exchanged as the boys tumbled to the ground, rolling around on the grass and hitting each other all the while. The adults quickly noticed, and Harry reacted by forcing them apart with an _"Impedimenta!"_ Sitting on the ground, Albus and Scorpius glared at each other. _

_Harry quickly apologized to Draco for his son, who had angrily ran inside the manor, slamming the doors shut. Scorpius' broom was taken away for half a month as punishment and he was grounded for two days. He later found out that Albus was only sent to bed without dinner and grounded for just the next day._

_From that day on, Scorpius and Albus both hated each other._

Scorpius sighed yet again. Thinking back, it all seemed so silly now. That realization, coupled with the life-debt he owed Albus, suddenly made Scorpius have no desire to continue his long-standing rivalry with Albus.

"A lot of things on your mind?" Scorpius turned around to see Maxien at the foot of the stairs to the boy's dormitories, his normally neat black hair ruffled. "It's one o'clock in the morning, you know."

"And what are you doing out of bed?" Scorpius asked.

"Well, I woke up and noticed you weren't in bed. I thought I'd find you here." Maxien answered. "So, what were you pacing back and forth about?"

"It's not worth it anymore," Scorpius said quietly. "I spent most of my life in Hogwarts hating him. We hated each other because we made fun of each other's names when we were just eleven years old."

"But you don't hate him anymore." Maxien said, sinking onto an armchair by the fireplace. He knew that Scorpius was talking about Albus.

"No, I don't reckon I do… I just hope Albus can feel the same way." Scorpius said. "The feud between the Malfoys and Potters has gone on for too long. My dad tried to patch things up during the summer after the first year by inviting the Potters for tea, but I guess I messed it up."

"Just a little," Maxien said with a small smile. "Although, Potter did tackle you first."

"Yeah, but he saved my life recently." Scorpius shuddered as he imagined the Killing Curse soaring towards him again. "I think that more than makes up for something he did four years ago."

"You're right. I'm glad he saved you, Scorpius." Maxien said sincerely. "You're a good friend to me, and I can't imagine how different life would be if you died."

"Well, no more fancy dinner parties at the manor–"

"–no more summer vacations at your place–"

"–no extravagant gifts from us when it's your birthday–"

"–no more competition when I'm trying to get the girls–"

"Hey!" Scorpius said, glaring at Maxien, who only smirked, running his fingers through his black hair to neaten them. A few seconds later both of them broke out into laughter.

"Yes, life would be a lot worse without the _highly esteemed_ Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy," Maxien said jokingly. "You think you can go back to bed now?"

"When I went back home for the Christmas holidays," Scorpius said, ignoring Maxien's question, "My dad seemed really worried about something."

"Why's that so important?" Maxien asked.

"Dad doesn't usually act that way," Scorpius replied. "But during Christmas he was holed up in his office a lot. I heard him muttering to himself in the office sometimes, in the dead of night when I went to the bathroom. He was sending a lot of owls too."

"You reckon something big is going on?"

"I don't know." Scorpius said. He sighed, and stretched to relax his muscles. "Time for bed, I think."

The two Slytherin boys went up the stairs to their dormitories, and climbed into bed. Staring at the green upholstery on his four-poster bed, Scorpius eventually fell asleep.

The next day for them was a myriad of monotony. Both Scorpius and Maxien excelled at most of their subjects, except for History of Magic and Divination, which both of them classified as "useless old tripe", and they breezed through most of their classes without paying a lot of attention or effort. Their time in class was spent whispering to each other, doodling, and playing tic-tac-toe or sometimes hangman.

At lunch time, Maxien was due to meet up with Mirah so that they could both eat lunch together. Maxien offered to let Scorpius come along, which he gratefully accepted since Scorpius didn't really have any other close friends other than Maxien.

They waited outside the Great Hall entrance for Mirah. When she came, accompanied by her group of friends, she saw them waiting. Gesturing that her friends should go ahead without her, she approached Maxien and Scorpius.

"Hi," Maxien said. "Is it alright if Scorpius joins us for lunch as well?"

"Sure," Mirah replied. "Your table or mine?"

After a moment of hesitation, Maxien replied, "Yours."

They entered the Great Hall, which was already bustling with students waiting for the food to appear, and found an empty area of the Ravenclaw table. Inter-house unity was something that Minerva McGonagall had tried to encourage after Albus Dumbledore's death, and over twenty years of encouragement found some progress in this endeavour. Now, students were less hesitant to mingle with the other houses, although the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin was still happening to an extent.

"I would pull out a chair for you," Maxien said to Mirah with a smile as they all sat down, "But I'm afraid these tables come with benches."

"Ever so gentlemanly, Maxien is," Scorpius joked.

Mirah laughed amusedly. "Maybe I'll keep him after all."

"What's not to like?" Maxien said with a smile, drawing Mirah in with his right arm. Mirah rested her head on Maxien's shoulder. Even though it was a slightly awkward position, they ate lunch that way.

Scorpius quietly watched Maxien and Mirah as they talked to each other all the while maintaining body contact. An unfamiliar feeling blossomed inside him. A few moments later, Scorpius identified it with surprised as… longing. Scorpius longed for somebody like what Mirah was to Maxien; somebody he could care for, worry about; somebody he could talk to as equals, and most of all, somebody he could love.

_Lucky bloke,_ Scorpius thought enviously. It wasn't that Scorpius could not get a girlfriend; on the contrary, he was regarded as rather handsome by the female population, but there was just nobody he was interested in. He hated shallow girls, and the type of girls who would throw themselves at any boy. No, he preferred a girl with intelligence and passion. A girl like Rose Weasley. True, he had asked her out to the Halloween masquerade, but they had never really spoken to each other after that. _Actually, maybe it's time I dropped my status as 'single'…_

Scorpius looked away from Maxien and Mirah, and directed his gaze towards the Gryffindor table. He spotted Rose, sitting with Lily. They were chatting casually, and eating in between their conversation. _But where's Potter and Morzel? Don't they usually sit with them?_

A quick glance up and down the Gryffindor table showed that both Albus and Eli were not present. _Probably off getting into trouble again,_ Scorpius thought. He resumed looking at Rose, examining her from afar. He watched the sunlight from the enchanted ceiling glisten off of Rose's flaming red hair, and lighting up her pale freckled skin. He watched her lips as they formed words, although he did not know what she was saying.

Rose seemed to feel that somebody was watching her. She looked in Scorpius direction, and blushed slightly when she saw that it was Scorpius who was looking at her. Scorpius inclined his head slightly in greeting. She blushed again and looked back at Lily, resuming their conversation.

_She's beautiful,_ Scorpius realized in wonder. _Smart, too. I… like her, don't I?_

His thoughts were broken when he spotted Eli running down the Gryffindor table towards Rose and Lily. He seemed to be out of breath, and when he reached the two girls, he spoke quickly. Rose and Lily looked shocked, and rose from their seats, their lunches forgotten as they followed Eli quickly out of the Great Hall.

_What was that all about?_ Scorpius mused as he watched them go. _I hope Potter's not in some type of trouble again._

At the end of lunch, Scorpius left Maxien to escort Mirah to the Ravenclaw Common Room. Promising that he would grab Maxien's things as well, he headed down towards the Slytherin Common Room.

The rest of the day passed by rather slowly. All the while in class, thoughts of Rose Weasley would flit through Scorpius' head. Sometimes they were just quick images of her; Rose laughing together with Lily, Rose's back as she walked down a corridor, unaware that Scorpius was looking at her, or Rose's hair as it lit up in the sun. Sometimes it was memories of their dances together at the Halloween masquerade, her eyes as they looked into his, the feel of her arms around his neck as they danced… He cherished each and every one of those memories.

When dinner time came, the news filtered through slowly, but by the end of dinner nearly the whole school was buzzing with the news: Albus Potter was in the Hospital Wing, in critical condition. Nobody knew if he would survive or not.

* * *

**A/N:** Ooh, a cliffhanger! Haven't seen one of those in a while. Next chapter, you'll find out exactly what Albus has been doing all this time, and the aftermath.


	19. Chapter 18: The Return of the Dark Lord

**A/N**: Feels good to be back, readers. This chapter has been in production for more than two months, being abandoned and then minutely edited periodically. My muse finally came back, though. After some intense typing I finished the chapter at last!  
I was originally writing about the Quidditch match, but then I realized that didn't fit with the last chapter. *facepalm*  
So I almost gave up, but I managed to find inspiration to write again!  
It's a short chapter, 4,000 words, but don't fret because I have part (most?) of the next chapter written out already! Yeaaahhh!

I don't have any regular readers that I know of, so no need for me to apologize for the delay, eh. xP A l'il warning though... this chapter contains a bit of a bloody mess (literally), AKA there's some blood and gore. Don't read if you get queasy.

**Disclaimer**: Not mine, just the plot, Eli, and whomever you don't recognize.

* * *

Chapter Eighteen – The Return of the Dark Lord

It was almost eight o'clock in the morning. Hermione was back at her house, Ron's snores softly emanating from their bedroom upstairs. She was sitting at the large desk in her office, where stacks of books were neatly arranged around her. At the moment, she wore a look of intense concentration on her face, feverishly flipping through a thick tome.

"How could I have completely missed it?" Hermione moaned, slamming the book shut. Realizing what she just did, Hermione brushed off some dirt on the book and set it gently back on the stack of books on her right. "Oh, I need to tell Harry right away." Looking up at the general area where Ron lay, she sighed. _Another long day, then._

Hermione marched to the fireplace. Grabbing the bag of floo powder resting on the mantelpiece, she took a pinch of it and threw it into the fire, announcing, "Potter Manor!" The fires turned green immediately. She stuck her head into the flames, and felt it spinning around on her shoulders. When the dizzying sensation stopped, she was greeted by the sight of Ginny resting on a couch by the fireplace.

"Ginny?" Hermione spoke softly, so as to not startle her. "I need to talk to Harry."

Ginny still jumped slightly when Hermione's voice suddenly sounded. "Oh! Nice to see you, 'Mione. You're up early!"

"Research," Hermione grimaced. "I got up around five in the morning and I've been through three cups of coffee already. I see you're awake early too."

"We're just taking a small rest. Harry and I have our own reasons for being up so early." Ginny gave Hermione a small wink. Hermione blushed at the implied meaning behind Ginny's phrase.

"Yes well, could you go get Harry?"

"Right away," Ginny left to get him, leaving Hermione on her knees. Hermione shifted uncomfortably, sore from kneeling in the same position for so long.

Harry came striding in the living room a few minutes later, looking alert as always, with Ginny on his heels. "What is it? Did you find–"

"Yes," said Hermione with a grimace. "Now if you don't mind, it's incredibly rude to leave a lady on her knees for too long. May I come in?"

Harry looked embarrassed. "Of course. Sorry, 'Mione."

Hermione gratefully pulled herself all the way through the fireplace. A moment later, she was brushing herself off in the living room of Potter Manor. She walked to Harry's office right away, having been there many times. Sitting herself down at the desk, she plopped down the papers she was carrying, along with the large book.

"So you definitely found what the rune is?" Harry asked with excitement in his voice.

"Yes. The reason I didn't recognize it earlier is because it's not something you can learn in Runes. It's an Egyptian hieroglyph." Hermione said proudly. She was met by Harry's blank look. Sighing, she said, "An Egyptian hieroglyph is a writing system used by Egyptians as a form of archaic communication. Simply put, Egyptian hieroglyphs are based on pictures which symbolize ideas and thoughts."

Showing Harry the mysterious rune, she announced, "This is the Egyptian hieroglyph for 'Life'. You see how it looks like a cross with a loop at the top? It's called an ankh."

"And the Death Eaters took it because…?" Harry asked warily.

"I'm not completely sure, but I have a theory." Hermione answered.

"They're all we have. Go ahead."

"Well, ancient Egyptian wizards… the dark wizards, they were skilled at necromancy. The ankh was an important part of their resurrection rituals."

Harry shot her a look of horror. "You don't mean…"

"Looks like there's more than one way to skin a Kneazle. Or resurrect a Dark Lord."

* * *

"…And so, our time is near!" Seipp proclaimed to the throng of gathered Death Eaters. "By tomorrow afternoon, your patience will be rewarded!"

The crowd of Death Eaters cheered. "Even in death may he be triumphant!" some called out, others echoing the phrase.

"Dismissed!" Seipp commanded, and Apparated away. He reappeared inside what looked like to be a dungeon. In the middle of the dungeon was a large five-pointed star, drawn with chalk. In the center of the stair rested a stone, etched with a rune resembling a cross, with a loop at the top. It glowed softly with a reddish light, pulsating as if it was breathing. Renewing the Stasis Charm, he gave the room a once-over before Disapparating.

The next day made Seipp edgy with anticipation. Today would be the day he fulfilled his purpose. He was in a large desert, camped on a sand dune. He glanced at the sky, noting the position of the overhanging sun, rising up slowly, and at the tent behind him.

"Just a few more hours, my lord," Seipp murmured. "But for now, I wait."

He sat down in a chair by the entrance of the tent, and watched his surroundings warily. Nothing was allowed to go wrong that day.

* * *

"This is the last practice before our first Quidditch match this season," Tyson announced to the team in the change rooms. "Before we begin warming up, I'd just like to say how great you guys were."

The Gryffindor Quidditch team was in the change rooms, listening to Tyson. This was the last time they were able to book the pitch for the upcoming Quidditch match. It was Saturday, exactly a week before they were due to compete against Slytherin.

"Since we won't be able to practice for a whole week after this, I want all of you put in extra effort. Understood?"

The Gryffindor Quidditch team murmured in assent, and they filed out of the change rooms and kicked off into the air on their brooms.

"Three days until your big debut!" Albus said to Eli teasingly as they flew some laps on the pitch. "You think you'll be able to handle the pressure?"

"Well, I hope so, Al," Eli said with a half-grimace on his face. "It gets me a bit queasy thinking about it – don't know how your dad always did it."

"It's all about being quick and having a good eye," Albus reassured him. "Remember how you caught Tyson's watch? You'll have no problem."

Eli looked a little bit cheered up. "Thanks Al," he said gratefully.

"Anytime."

* * *

The sun was still climbing, stirring up the air and causing shimmering patches of heat to be visible wherever Seipp looked. All this time, he had been patiently waiting at the entrance of the tent for the right moment.

_Just a few more hours away, and then I may begin. The dungeon… where it will all begin anew._

Staring out at the vast expanse of sand, he gazed at the human construct in the distance, large, and pointed towards the sky, all the while twirling the wand in his hand with his fingers.

_By your power, it will begin.

* * *

_

Albus, James and Lara were currently practicing the Hawkshead Attack Formation, where they flew together, one in the center and slightly ahead of the other two. They switched the "Hawkshead" every time they flew to one end of the pitch, Albus first, and then James would go to the front, and finally Lara, all rotating in a seamless pattern.

After they tired from practicing formations and strategy, they helped Tyson practice Keeping, working together to try to get the Quaffle through the hoops.

Meanwhile, Eli was practicing catching the Golden Snitch, having been released from the case, letting it fly out of sight before he began his search.

All the while the Beaters would fly around the pitch, beating back the Bludgers whenever they tried to attack the players.

Since Tyson wanted them to practice all day, they were allowed a break for lunch.

"Okay team, hit the showers and come back after lunch!" Tyson called out as they touched down on the grass of the pitch.

As they walked to the change rooms, James clapped a hand on Albus' back and said, "Great job today, Al! You're fantastic for a first-timer on the Quidditch team." He added to Eli, "You were really great too. Natural talent and everything!"

Lara looked over at James' words and smiled at Albus and Eli. "Yeah, you were great out there Albus. It's a pleasure practicing with you."

Albus blushed. "Thanks," he said with an embarrassed smile. "I don't think it was anything special though."

"Yeah, me neither," Eli said.

"All the same, you guys did great," Lara reassured them as they arrived inside the main area of the change rooms. Pushing open the door to the women's section, she turned her head and said, "See you after lunch."

Albus, James and Eli returned her goodbye, and headed off to the showers.

* * *

The heat of the sun would have been unbearable if it wasn't for the Cooling Charm Seipp had cast around his encampment. He lifted his head once more to look at the sun. It was almost right over his head, hanging hugely in the sky like an overgrown lantern.

_It's almost time,_ Seipp thought with something akin to wonder… and a hint of greed. _I need to begin the process._

Seipp packed up his tent with a wave of his wand – not the one in his hand, but rather the one that had been stowed away in his robes. Removing the Cooling Charm, he concentrated upon the apex of the large, triangular shaped structure: the pyramid constructed by a Dark Egyptian wizard many centuries ago. Turning on his heels, he Apparated, willing his existence into the pyramid.

A few moments later, he appeared with a _crack_ inside a dimly lit dungeon. Rusty manacles hung from the walls. In the middle of the room was a five-pointed star drawn with chalk powder and in the center of that was a single object made of stone, inscribed with a symbol that looked like a cross but had a loop at the top. A soft red glow emanated from the inscribed rune.

Seipp carefully stepped across the chalk lines of the five-pointed star, wand clutched tight in his hand. Removing the stasis charm with his regular wand, he stood in the center, the stone resting between his feet.

_It begins…_ Seipp thought with an exhilarated laugh, throwing his head backwards.

Opening his mouth, Seipp began chanting the words that he had spent so many nights reading and reading over and over again until he had it memorized perfectly along with all its subtle nuances. As he chanted, the wand – the key to everything – gripped tightly in his hand, the soft red glow that emanated from the rune began pulsating gently. With every word that flowed from Seipp's mouth, the air seemed to thicken, crackling with energy.

The light in the stone began to pulse faster and brighter, ebbing and regaining strength with every moment. Seipp chanted faster, the magic he was invoking eager to be released, the words pouring out of his mouth by its own volition.

As Seipp finished the first part of the ritual, the bright crimson light emanating from the relic pulsed one more time and then exploded outwards, blanketing the room with a blinding white light, which then constricted until it formed a translucent spherical barrier that surrounded him.

Elsewhere, a Muggle farmer paused from sowing seeds, startled by the sudden flash of light in his peripheral vision. Looking up, he saw a long, thin shaft of bright white light reaching straight into the heavens, originating from the tip of a faraway pyramid. Shaking his head, he went back into his house and resolved to stop drinking so much whisky before lunch.

Back in the pyramid was a maelstrom of magic, the barrier surrounding Seipp glowing a malevolent crimson, the color of blood. The chalk pentagram was swept up by the winds stirred up from the ritual, the powdered clouds dancing crazily in the air.

Seipp began the second part of the ritual.

* * *

Albus exited from the showers, towelling his messy hair dry. He dressed himself and then went outside the change rooms to wait for Eli.

"Ready?" Albus asked after Eli emerged.

"Yup. You hungry yet?"

"Almost," Albus said with a grin. "What do you say we do some extra flying before we go for lunch?"

Eli smiled. "Sounds fun, let's go!"

They headed back out to the pitch, grabbing their brooms. They kicked off into the blue sky, soaring free as birds. It was just them, alone, flying over the Quidditch pitch.

* * *

For the second part of the ritual, Seipp continued the long incantation he had painstakingly memorized. The wand clutched so tightly in his hand was beginning to heat up – it was uncomfortably hot but was not hot enough to cause pain. The relic at his feet began to rise up slowly, until it hovered at chest height, and then began to drift around him in a circumference, following the shape of the magical sphere around him.

With a muttered sentence came an explosion; the dungeon was suddenly filled with light as the tip of the pyramid in which the dungeon was located was blown away in chunks of limestone. The dungeon stood open, the roof gone, the sun directly over the pyramid.

* * *

Albus whooped as he corkscrewed through the air on his Firebolt 3000. Eli laughed as he oscillated around Albus. As they neared the spectator stands surrounding the pitch, Eli dropped from his broom, grabbing on with just his right hand. He kicked off from the wall, using the momentum to swing himself back onto his broom, reversing direction.

"Nice one!" Albus called out, who at that moment was standing upright on his broomstick, looking like he was performing the flying, in-air version of Muggle surfing.

The flying tricks they were doing would have amazed whomever was looking. Unfortunately, no one was, but they didn't care.

The two best friends never felt so carefree in their lives.

* * *

The wand cracked, splitting open vertically along the grain of the Elder wood. A dark light spilled out from it with a scream of triumph, whirling around Seipp faster and faster as Seipp concentrated on finishing the third and final part of the Dark ritual. The magical wind was at a fever pitch, howling with the crackling energy in the apex of the pyramid. The Elder Wand clattered to the floor, unneeded.

Seipp chanted quickly, eager for the end of the ritual so that he could share in the power of his Dark Lord.

_So close… almost there!_ Seipp thought excitedly as he chanted.

And then, with a sense of anticipation and the lure of power, Seipp completed the last line of the ritual. It was as if a mini-vortex was inside the sunlight filled dungeon, spinning a crimson red, at the center of which Seipp stood. The beam of light reaching up into the heavens ceased, but then a different shade of light, blood-red in color and streaked with black and gold came down as a beam from the overhanging sun and directly into Seipp's heart.

* * *

Albus was currently performing a maneuver known as the Woollongong Shimmy, pretending Eli was an opposing Chaser. He zigzagged through the air at a high-speed, undermining Eli's attempts to tag him, and making it difficult for Eli to follow him as well.

"Hey, I think I want to try something." Albus said to Eli, doing a one-eighty to face him.

"What?" Eli asked curiously.

Albus smiled. "Just sit back, relax, and watch."

* * *

Seipp screamed in ecstasy as power filled him. Removing the knife that he had prepared beforehand, he bared his chest and made a deep cut where the beam of light entered.

"MY LORD, I OFFER MYSELF TO YOU AS MY VESSEL!" Seipp screamed.

The black, smoky light that had been whirling around him dove straight into the gash made by the knife. The sphere of magic around him contracted, becoming smaller and smaller until it was absorbed into Seipp's body. The howling wind ceased, and the vortex disappeared. All was silent.

Then Seipp's body exploded outwards, splattering the stone walls of the dungeon with blood and gore before he even had time to scream in surprise and pain. His flesh was an unrecognizable mess spread throughout the room. It looked as if his body had been put through a blender without its cap on. Seipp had done his research, but in his haste failed to interpret the text correctly. When he read that the ritual would result in him sharing flesh, bone and magic, he interpreted it as that he would be able to share in Voldemort's power. However, what it really meant was that he was giving up his body, flesh and magic and surrendering it to Voldemort instead.

In the center of the room, where the chalk pentagram used to be was a heart, whole but still. It glowed with an inner light, as green as the color of the Killing Curse, with an inky black mixed in at the core.

Then, imperceptibly, the heart beat once… twice… three times. As it did so, Seipp's splattered remains began to slid off the walls and floor towards the heart. As the mass of it reached the slowly beating heart, the light emanating from it became stronger, and the green light whirled around it. Slowly, the mass of flesh began to coalesce, forming a vaguely humanoid shape, which then became more defined as features grew. Fingers grew from the rounded stump where the hands were supposed to be, bumps on the face area indicated the formation of a nose and lips, and depressions forming eye-sockets. The eyes popped into place, glowing red, swiveling in their sockets, and skin began to cover the body. A minute later, Lord Voldemort stood there at last.

Tom Marvolo Riddle stood in the center of the room, looking for all the world as if he was in his late twenties. He was tall, with pale skin, jet black hair, and red eyes that after a few seconds, slowly faded to a dark brown. He was thin, with a handsome face.

Lord Voldemort raised his hands up to his face in wonderment, noting that it was not the chalk white he remembered, but a more normal skin color, albeit pale. Touching his face, he realized that he had a proper nose and lips. As the hot sun beat down on his back, Voldemort realized that he was naked. Looking around, he spotted a wand lying down on the floor… a very familiar wand. Picking it up, he saw with fury and disappointment that it was cracked from top to bottom, rendering it unuseable. He let it fall to the ground again.

Another wand caught Voldemort's eye. He picked it up and examined it. It was ten inches long, and made of elm. A warmth filled his hand as the wand accepted a new master, recognizing the death of its old. He nodded. It would have to suffice for now.

Voldemort conjured a robe for himself, and after donning it, he conjured a mirror as well, examining his appearance. He drew in a shocked breath as he recognized the visage of his youth – the handsome face of Tom Riddle. His lips slowly turned upwards in an evil grin, revealing rows of flat, white teeth. His appearance of old would blend in better with the general populace. A face that could charm sometimes was more effective than a face that inspired only fear.

Voldemort paused. He felt something strange was in the back of his mind. He frowned as he sought the source. It reminded him of the connection he had with his nemesis and inferior opponent, Harry Potter, but the feel of the mind was different. He delved in with a hard, mental jab, attempting to find out the consciousness' identity.

* * *

Albus was in a precarious position; he had hooked his legs onto his Firebolt 3000 and was currently doing sit-ups in midair, while using his legs to twist the broom so that he was slowly revolving.

Eli laughed in amusement as he watched his best friend's antics, Albus laughing as well. Then suddenly, Albus seemed to freeze, his eyes bugging out, and his body going slack. It seemed to Eli as if Albus slid off his broom in slow motion, tumbling off it and towards the ground fourty feet below.

Through his shock, Eli was too slow to react. By the time he recovered and dived desperately in an attempt to catch Albus, he had already hit the ground in a crumpled heap.

Eli dismounted, his broom falling to the ground. He ran towards Albus in fear, yelling, "Albus? ALBUS!"

Eli could see that Albus' collarbone had snapped; he could see it poking against from his skin, threatening to break though. His arm was also broken. That was all Eli cared to see before he mounted his broom again and flew towards the castle doors, dismounted and ran inside.

_Madam Pomfrey first, and then I gotta tell Rose and Lils. Oh God, I hope Albus is going to be okay.

* * *

_

Voldemort smiled, his brown eyes filled with malice. His investigation had revealed something interesting – he was still connected to the Potter boy that he had "befriended" through the guise of the Elder wand. This would prove handy later on, he decided. Voldemort still remembered everything from his time as an insubstantial spirit.

Voldemort took one last glance at his surroundings and Disapparated, but not before saying one last thing with a chilling, cold laugh.

"Lord Voldemort is back."

* * *

**A/N**: Hey, I like this chapter! Review and tell me what you think, mkay kids? Otherwise I'll make Moldywarts kill off Albus in the end! And everyone! MUAHAHAHAHA!


	20. Chapter 19: Renewal of Pasts

**A/N**: Okay, so this chapter is totally longer (15 pages on OO)! But I hope you enjoy it since some important things are revealed and some important things also happen.

* * *

Chapter 19 – Renewal of Pasts

It was now past noon; Harry was getting a bit hungry, having been too caught up in Auror work to eat on time. It had been a mundane day. Most of it was spent on paperwork and writing and editing reports submitted to him by the Aurors that worked under him. Little did he know that the monotony of his day would soon be broken.

Harry snapped his head up at the sound of a tapping on his window. Seeing it was an owl, he let it in, upon which the owl offered Harry its leg and the letter attached to it. Unrolling the parchment, he began to read:

_Dear Harry,_

_ I know you would want to hear about it as soon as any of your children are hurt, so I regret to inform you that your son Albus has been severely injured as a result of a flying accident and is currently in the Hospital Wing. Please feel free to visit him at any time you can._

_ Best wishes,_

_ Minerva McGonagall_

Harry was at the fireplace of his office and throwing a pinch of Floo powder into the flames before he even finished reading the last sentence. Shouting, "Hogwarts Hospital Wing!" he dove into the flames and vanished.

* * *

Albus woke up in a completely unfamiliar place. It seemed as if he was in a living room, with rich decorations, plush armchairs made of velvet and a large fireplace in front of him. To his disconcertment he discovered that he could not move neither his eyes nor any other part of his body.

Albus heard footsteps behind him on the soft carpet. He tried in vain to shift his view but he could not.

"_Stupefy!_" he heard a voice say roughly. To his surprise and confusion, he saw his hand raising itself and flicking a wand that he did not recognize. His mouth moved with its own volition, speaking calmly with a smooth voice. "_Protego._"

It was at this point that Albus realized he was seeing things through somebody else's eyes. _This isn't my body!_ He thought. His realization was confirmed when the chair he was in swivelled around to face his attacker.

The attacker was a tall man, with a hard face that belied brutishness. His hair was blonde and cropped short like a crew-cut, and he was in a cautious stance with his wand pointing at Albus.

"Who are you?" The man demanded angrily. "How did you get past my Intruder and Locking Charms? Why are you here? Speak now before I curse you into oblivion!"

Albus heard himself speak. "Ah, Yaxley." He said with a chuckle. "Must you always be rude?"

"Answer my questions!" Yaxley said loudly, appearing unnerved that this strange young man in front of him knew his name.

"How many years has it been?" Albus said with a sigh. "Twenty-one years… twenty-one years is long, I admit, but would you forget your master so easily?"

"The Dark Lord?" Yaxley growled. "You look nothing like him! He was the most powerful wizard of all time! But you... you are just a young man!"

"Maybe so…" Albus heard himself agree with Yaxley, "But I can prove I am who I say I am."

Albus saw himself raise his left arm. Using his right hand, he pulled up his left sleeve, baring a tattoo that depicted a snake protruding from a skull's mouth. Raising his wand, he deliberately pressed the Dark Mark with it. Yaxley immediately let out a yell of pain, grabbing his left arm.

"M-my lord?" Yaxley said disbelievingly. "After all these years… but how?"

Albus felt a sense of fear course through his body. _I'm seeing what Voldemort's seeing! But how? Am I hallucinating? Last thing I remember… wait, last thing I remember… I know I fell off my broom…_

"That shall be answered in time. For now, we wait for the rest of my Death Eaters."

Yaxley looked apprehensive. "My lord… I deeply regret to tell you that all the members of the Inner Circle were killed, and the remaining Death Eaters have either been put into Azkaban after the war or killed also."

"What?" Voldemort hissed angrily. "_Crucio!_"

Yaxley sank onto his knees as he screamed in pain. Albus couldn't take it any longer; he had to wake up… he was hallucinating, he had to be…. he had to wake up…

"Wake up! Come on Albus! Snap out of it!"

"Albus? Wake up, son, you're having a bad dream. Wake up."

Albus slowly opened his eyes, and blinked blearily. He saw two blurry shapes hovering over him. He blinked a few more times and they became the faces of Eli and his father.

"E-Eli? Dad?" Albus said uncertainly. "What's going on?"

Harry asked cautiously, "What do you remember?"

"Falling off a broomstick..." Albus began, "But not much else." He tried to get up, but gasped as dull stabs of pain shot up his left arm, his chest and collarbone.

"Don't try to move, Albus!" Harry exclaimed. "You've broken your left arm–"

"–fractured a few ribs, and broke your collarbone as well. You also had a fractured skull, but the potions I fed you patched it up adequately." came a stern voice. Albus gingerly shifted his head, revealing the disapproving face of Madam Pomfrey. "I must say it seems like all of you Potters have been in the Hospital Wing at least once, and most are serious injuries too – except for Lily; I don't think she's been in here once. Try not to break that streak of hers. Anyway, I've already given Albus the necessary potions; his bones have healed adequately but he needs to stay here another day or two so that I can check on his progress."

Harry grinned abashedly as Albus stared aghast at his arm, neck and chest which were all bandaged, and gingerly touched his bandaged head. "Sorry, Madam Pomfrey. I'll make sure my kids are more careful next time."

"How long was I asleep?" Albus asked.

"Two days," Harry responded.

"Two days?" Albus exclaimed in surprise. "So long?"

"Well, you had a whole bunch of potentially life-threatening injuries," Eli said with a shrug.

"Do you know why you fell?" Harry asked.

"It was like... someone was attacking my mind. Like someone had stabbed a knife into my brain." Albus replied. "I guess I must have fallen off from the shock."

"He doesn't look so good," came a familiar voice. Albus looked around and groaned. It seemed as if everybody was here: his dad, Eli, Lily, Rose, James, and even Hugo, who usually preferred to hang around his other friends. It was Lily that had spoken.

Harry frowned. "No, he doesn't. I've already sent an owl to your mum, Albus. She'll be here in an hour or so. I suggest you go back to sleep; Madam Pomfrey will give you a Dreamless Sleep potion so you won't have any more nightmares."

"B-but dad!" Albus said loudly. "Voldemort! He's back!"

"What are you talking about?" Harry said, looking at him, confused.

Albus frowned as he tried to remember his vision. "It's a bit hazy now, but I'm sure I was seeing things from Voldemort's eyes... he was talking to a man named Yaxley." Albus then described as much of the vision as he could remember to a shocked audience.

After Albus had recounted his vision, Harry let out a groan, burying his face between his hands. "But how? How is this possible? How can you have a connection to Voldemort?"

"I... think I might know," Albus said quietly. At this, everyone's worried face snapped up to look at him. "During the time... when he was just the Elder Wand, we could speak to each other, no matter where I was. It didn't matter if I was all the way at the other end of the castle and the wand was in my dorm. We had some kind of mental connection. It's like..."

"Like when I had the same connection with Voldemort." Harry said grimly. "With that connection comes the fact that the residue of his soul is inside you Albus. There's no other explanation for it. It can't be a piece of his soul per se, because he doesn't have enough left in him to leave that much behind. It can only be a trace residue." He sighed. "The thing is, I don't even know how any of this works. Hermione always says that Britain's magical education has been severely lacking."

"I'm tainted," Albus whispered. "Impure... it feels like I've been violated, dad. I didn't ask for this!"

"I know, son." Harry said heavily. "But just like me, you're going to have to accept it, and in the meantime, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure Voldemort's not going to become the threat he was again."

"Dad, there's one more thing." Albus said, just remembering. "Yaxley told Voldemort that he looked nothing like him. How's that possible?"

Harry looked surprised for a moment, and then began to think. "I think that whatever ritual he used to regain a body possibly gave him a different form than before."

"But then how will we know what he looks like?" Rose said sharply. "He could blend in simply because he looks like any average person on the street!"

"Knowing Voldemort," Harry said, "He'll reveal himself before long. Besides–"

Harry broke off, and withdrew a galleon from his pocket, which was flashing red and blue. He frowned as he looked at it, and stood up abruptly.

"Sorry, son," Harry said, "But urgent business awaits. I'll be back to visit you after I'm done... but don't expect me until tomorrow, since this will take a couple of hours. Oh, your Quidditch match is on Saturday, right? I'll be sure to get front row seats!"

"Promise?"

"I promise." Harry smiled at his son, who smiled back weakly, grateful for the support. Harry left the Hospital Wing at a brisk pace, bidding Madam Pomfrey a goodbye.

"Er, why was his galleon flashing?" Eli asked, confused.

"Oh right," Albus laughed. "It's not a real galleon; it's a charmed coin that tells dad if something's going on in his department."

Eli nodded in understanding. Albus' friends approached his bedside.

"Seriously, Al, you okay?" Lily asked in a voice full of concern.

"Yeah," Albus said tiredly. "I'm just sore.

"You gave Rose quite a scare," Hugo put in with a cheeky grin. "She practically sprinted up here after she heard you were hurt."

"Hugo!" Rose said, blushing and giving Hugo a slap on the arm. "I was worried, that's all, and you, Eli and Lily were sprinting just as fast as I was!"

"Hmm, I don't know..." Hugo said. "I think you were sprinting faster."

Rose spluttered. "Oh, you're incorrigible."

At that moment, the Hospital Wing doors opened with a creak. Cherylyn's head peeked in. "Where's Madam Pomfrey? Am I allowed to come in?"

Madam Pomfrey came out of her office. "Visiting Albus? Feel free to come in, but remember visiting hours are over in fifteen minutes!"

Cherylyn thanked Madam Pomfrey and approached Albus. Seeing his bandaged state, she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my god! You look terrible!"

Albus groaned. "Why does everybody keep saying that?" he asked rhetorically.

"Are you okay?" Cherylyn asked.

"I'm sore but feeling better." Albus grimaced. "Thanks for visiting me though, Cheryl. Oh hey, that reminds me, what time is it?"

"About ten minutes before dinner," Rose answered promptly.

Albus sighed. "I'm going to miss dinner in the Great Hall... in more ways than one."

They chatted for a while more before Madam Pomfrey finally shooed them out of the Hospital Wing, but not before assuring Albus that they would all visit as soon as they could the next day.

Albus sighed again as he downed a vial of Dreamless Sleep potion given to him by Madam Pomfrey after he had eaten dinner. Mirah hadn't visited him. _I don't suppose she cares anyway..._

Those were his last thoughts as he sank into unconsciousness.

* * *

After Harry left the Hospital Wing, he walked with quick strides out of Hogwarts. The galleon had flashed red and blue and then gave him the location of his office. Flashing red and blue usually meant that it was urgent business. As soon as he left the school grounds and thus the wards protecting Hogwarts, he Disapparated.

Harry reappeared inside his office. Awaiting him was Ron, looking unusually pale.

"What's going on, mate?" Harry asked.

"I think Voldemort's resurrected himself, Harry!"

Harry sighed heavily. "I know."

Ron froze. "Y-you do?"

"Yeah." Harry recounted everything Albus had told him after explaining his connection to Voldemort.

"Blimey, is Albus going to be okay with... all that?" Ron asked.

"It should be okay for now; there's no adverse effects as far as I know and Voldemort doesn't seem to be actively using the connection. We don't even know if he knows about it." Harry asserted. "But back to the topic; how did you find out?"

"We have a couple of Aurors stationed in Egypt. They reported that they detected erratic magical signatures coming from a pyramid near where they were staying. They couldn't go near it at first because there was some sort of repelling charm and they couldn't go within thirty feet of the pyramid." Ron reported. "At some point the tip of the pyramid exploded and a beam of light shot up into the sky and then back down. An hour after that the magical energy faded entirely. When the Aurors Apparated to the tip to investigate, they found a dungeon of sorts."

"And what was in the dungeon?" Harry asked.

"Well, the Aurors performed some detection charms and remnants of a Dark Egyptian Ritual were found... and this." Ron took something out of his robes, showed it to Harry.

Harry looked at the object in Ron's hands. This single object alone spelled out another period of hardship looming ahead for him and perhaps his children. It was a familiar object, one that had many memories associated with it.

"The Elder Wand," Harry stated. And it undoubtedly was the Elder Wand, cracked from top to bottom. He could already guess what had happened, but performed a test with his wand just to make sure. There were no signs of the Horcrux that had been in the Elder Wand. Voldemort had truly been resurrected.

Ron looked apprehensive. "Is there anyway of fixing it?" he said, offering the wand to Harry.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know... it's the Elder Wand though, so..." He took the Elder Wand from Ron. As he did, a few things happened simultaneously. First, a warm feeling spread through his hand and washed over his whole body. Second, a blinding flash of white light filled the room. Third, he heard the sound of glass shattering and things falling on the floor. And fourth, he inexplicably felt exhausted. When the light dimmed a few seconds later, Ron was groping his way around, swearing under his breath as the flash of light had momentarily blinded him, since he had been staring right at the Elder Wand.

Harry looked around. His office was a mess. The glass in his photograph frames had all cracked and some of it was lying around the desk. The books on his bookshelves had all fallen out haphazardly, and the one painting he had hanging on his wall had fallen to the floor as well.

"Harry, mate! Look at the wand!" Ron exclaimed suddenly.

Harry looked down at the Elder Wand in his hand. It was completely whole, with no sign of the crack that had marred it earlier, and any indication that it had housed a Horcrux was a distant memory.

"It's fixed..." Harry said in wonder, before darkness swam in front of his eyes and unconsciousness overtook him.

Albus woke up the next morning, feeling much better than the previous day. The potions Madam Pomfrey had given him had mended his bones well enough that he could move about without much pain. He sat up in his bed and tried moving his arm. He had regained the mobility in his arm, but it was still a little bit sore.

"Up, are you?" came Madam Pomfrey's voice, pulling aside the curtains. She immediately proceeded to wave her wand over his body, performing some diagnostic spells – no doubt checking up on his recovery process. "Well, you seem to be doing well at any rate. I think I can let you go in time for lunch."

"Thanks," Albus said gratefully. He wouldn't have liked to stay in the Hospital Wing for too long as it was extremely boring. After breakfast his friends came to visit again as promised. Eli and Lily was the first to visit, and the rest trickled in after. They stayed until lunch, and Albus was finally given leave to go with them down to the Great Hall.

As they entered, there was much muttering as everyone swivelled around to watch Albus. He groaned internally. No doubt everyone had heard about his stint in the Hospital Wing. If he wasn't Harry Potter's son, he mused, nobody would probably care as much. Albus resigned himself to ignoring everyone as he sat down at the Gryffindor table, looking forward to the delicious food the House Elves always provided.

* * *

Harry groaned as he woke up with a pounding headache. He had no idea why he had a headache, or why he was so tired. Sunlight suddenly flooded his eyelids as he opened them, intensifying his headache, and he shut them again quickly.

"Oh thank goodness you're awake!" Ginny's voice came from somewhere on his right.

"Ginny?" Harry mumbled. "Wha-what happened?"

"You passed out, mate." Ron's voice came from his left.

"The Healer said it was from magical exhaustion," Hermione's voice–coming from the left–added in her lecture voice. "It seems that when the Elder Wand attempted to fix itself it required an outside magical source, since a wand is only a focus for the magic that exists inside us. And since you are its master it 'borrowed' your magical energy and nearly drained your magic core in the process. You're lucky to be alive, Harry! You know what happens when you come into possessions of such dangerous objects like the Elder Wand!"

"I know, 'Mione," Harry sighed wearily, his eyes still shut. "But I knew there would be risks in having an unbeatable wand... I never thought that this would be one of them though..."

"Mr. Potter," came an unfamiliar voice. Harry opened his eyes, blinking a few times before his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight. His headache was still going strong, but through the pounding behind his eyes he could see that it was a Healer, a gentle looking witch in her late thirties with blonde hair.

"Could you please close the curtains?" Harry asked with a groan. "I have a headache and the bright light's killing me."

Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh, sorry Harry! I should have realized..."

"Don't worry about it," Harry mumbled as the Healer closed the curtains for him, dimming the light down to a comfortable level.

"Now as I was about to say, I'm glad you're awake," the Healer said with a smile. "Your friends were becoming quite worried about you."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Besides the obvious, you mean?" Ginny said a little sharply because of her stress. "You've been asleep for four days, Harry."

Harry gaped at his wife, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. "Four days?"

"Yes," the Healer confirmed. "Your magic core was severely depleted. Your body required rest to regenerate your magic."

"Oh," Harry said. A few seconds later, a look of panic came over his face and he sat bolt upright. "Bloody hell! Albus' Quidditch match is today! I promised him I would be there to support him!"

"Hang on, Mr. Potter!" the Healer protested as Harry got off the bed and pulled his robes on. "You're still exhausted and are in no fit state to move around!"

"Sorry, but I've been through worse," Harry said with a small smile as Ginny, Hermione and Ron all made similar sounds of protest. "See you, everybody."

With that, Harry grabbed both his phoenix feather wand and the Elder Wand which were both lying on the table beside his bed, spun on his heels and Disapparated with a _crack_.

The Healer sighed and said to Ginny, Hermione and Ron, "Well, you'd better go after him. At least you'll be able to keep an eye on him and bring him to me if he gets any worse. He's healing at a steady rate, but just in case..."

"Of course," Ginny said, and all three of them Disapparated for Hogwarts.

* * *

"Excited?"

Albus looked up to see Maxien weakly grinning at him. He had approached the Gryffindor table without Albus noticing. Albus tentatively smiled back. He was too nervous to feel any real animosity towards the boy that held Mirah's affections.

"And nervous. It's the first time I'll be doing this, after all."

He tried to hide it, but it felt as if a thousand worms were wriggling inside his stomach. He was terrified at the prospect of playing Quidditch in front of the entire school, beyond nervous, in fact. Coupled with the fact that he had heard about what happened to his dad, an additional feeling of constant worry was always present.

"I'm nervous too," Maxien admitted. "But I'm sure we'll both screw up royally." He laughed at Albus' panicked expression. "Just kidding, we'll do fine. You and I, head to head."

"The most epic battle between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin?" Albus joked, relaxing a little.

"The Chase to end all Chases," Maxien agreed with a smile.

Albus glanced at Eli, sitting beside him, who looked a bit pale. He was staring blankly at the plate of toast, and pushing his scrambled eggs around with his fork.

"How about you, Eli? Ready for the big day?"

Eli slowly looked up, and said, "I'm going to do so badly! I don't think we've practiced enough or something. What if a Bludger comes after us like with your dad? What if I fall off my broom? What if I–"

Albus grimaced and held up a hand. "Don't talk about what-ifs, please. I'm as nervous as you."

"If it helps," Maxien spoke up, "I'm bloody nervous too."

"Where's Scorpius?" Eli asked curiously. "Isn't he the um… what position is he playing again?"

"When I left him, he was in the loo, throwing up," Maxien said with a slightly disgusted expression. "He was just a _little_ bit nervous. Oh, and he's playing Chaser too."

"We have to be down at the pitch in half an hour, you know." Albus said. "Eli, eat your breakfast, and I'll eat mine, alright?"

As Eli nodded mutely, Maxien said, "I think I'll go check on Scorpius. See you at the pitch."

Maxien left as Albus gave him a half-wave. Turning his attention to Eli, he said, "Come on, eat up."

Albus picked up his fork, and shoved a forkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth. Somehow, it made him feel better, and it lessened the queasiness in his stomach.

Eli sighed and ate his scrambled eggs as well. Albus watched him chew the eggs in his mouth. After he swallowed, Albus said, "Feeling better?"

"Yeah," Eli admitted. "Let's finish up and then we can head down."

They left the Great Hall and exited the castle, heading down towards the Quidditch pitch. Many other students had also left, bustling their way there in groups.

"Listen up, team!"

At Tyson Jordan's call, the excited chattering of the Gryffindor Quidditch team ceased immediately.

"This," Tyson said, spreading his arms wide for dramatic effect, "is the first match of the season – no, it is _our_ first match of the season, because the win is going to go to _us_!"

Everybody gathered in the change rooms cheered, Albus doing so half-heartedly because, truth to be told, he was still nervous. He clutched his Firebolt 3000 tighter in his hand for reassurance, the polished wood familiar in his hands.

"But! It doesn't matter if we win or not, because it's all about how hard we worked and how much effort we put into this match! Understood?" Tyson asked. When the team nodded, he continued. "Just remember what we've been doing every practice, and remember what we've been training for! This match, we're going head to head against the Slytherins, and we've _got to win_!"

"That's not going to be hard at all!" Thomas Cargel–one of the Beaters–said with a confident grin on his face.

"I've scoped out the competition," Tyson continued. "And it looks like we have a pretty even team. For Keeper, we have this sixth year called George Holmes – he's pretty big and looks like he could block shots pretty easily, for Beaters we have another sixth year named Magnus Wilson – some reedy looking ginger–"

"Hey, I resent that!" James shot at Tyson with a good-natured smirk, running his fingers through his red hair.

Tyson smirked back at James and continued, "–but I've heard that he's really good at hitting things with the Bludger. They also have a fourth year named William Bell – kind of large looking and muscled for his age. For Chasers we've got two fifth years, Maxien Zabini – he looks pretty athletic and is bound to be fast – and Scorpius Malfoy, in the same mould as Maxien, and a sixth year named Artie Kingston, who has an aggressive reputation. The Seeker is the guy we've got to look out for though – Blake Parkinson, a seventh year – he's a brutish looking but he still looks pretty quick, and he's the captain of the Slytherin team."

Albus digested what Tyson said. From what he heard, Blake Parkinson was a little bit on the dim side, and so he wasn't all that worried about the Seeker. Technically, that was Eli's job. No, all he had to do was concentrate on getting the Quaffle into the hoops.

A shrill whistle blast sounded, signalling that it was time for the two teams to congregate at the center of the pitch.

"Okay, that's our cue." Tyson announced. "Let's go, Gryffindors!"

"Good luck mate," Albus said to Eli as they walked out into a pitch surrounded by cheering spectators. "I know Parkinson's a seventh year but you don't need to worry about him – speed over size and all that."

"Thanks Albus," Eli responded, glancing worriedly at Blake Parkinson, heading the Slytherins as they walked onto the pitch. "You do well too, okay?"

Albus nodded as they arrived at the center. Madam Skye, a witch in her thirties with shoulder-length brown hair, hazel eyes, and an ever-cheerful, heart-shaped face–Hogwart's Flying Instructor who replaced Madam Hooch after she retired–was waiting for them.

Opposite the Gryffindor Quidditch team stood the Slytherin Quidditch team, looking determined and ready to take to the skies. Albus met Maxien's eyes, and Maxien nodded at him. Scorpius did the same. Albus nodded back, and scanned the rest of the Slytherins. It was just as Tyson had said. The Slytherin Quidditch team was composed of mostly tough and atheletic players.

"Okay teams," Madam Skye announced to both the Gryffindors and Slytherins, "I want a nice and fair game, alright? Now, would the team captains shake hands with each other?"

Tyson and Blake both looked each other square in the eyes and shook hands.

"You're going down, Jordan." Blake breathed.

"Right back at'cha, Parkinson," Tyson said levelly.

"Right then," Madam Skye said cheerfully. "In 3, 2, 1–"

The sound of the whistle blasted through the air.

"–And they're off! Gryffindor's Chaser Lara Callaghan gets the Quaffle first – she's speeding towards the Slytherin end of the pitch – and she's hit with a Bludger sent by Magnus Wilson, one of Slytherin's Beaters!"

The Gryffindors on the stands booed while the Slytherins cheered. Glancing towards the stands, Albus saw that a Hufflepuff he vaguely recognized was doing the commentary.

Turning his attention back to the game, Albus looked at Magnus, who was grinning widely, and then to Lara, who had apparently been hit in the side by the Bludger as she was clutching said area with a grimace. She had thankfully held on to the Quaffle, however, and was resuming her flight towards the Slytherin goal posts.

James and Albus flew in tandem on either side of Lara, just slightly ahead of her. Albus constantly kept an eye on her in case she needed to make a pass. As they flew nearer to the goal posts, Maxien sped over to intercept Lara, intent on snatching the Quaffle away from her. Before he could reach her however, Lara passed the Quaffle to James, who caught it.

"Gryffindor Chaser James Potter now in possession of the Quaffle! Scorpius Malfoy speeding over to intercept – and James Potter rolls to avoid another Bludger sent by Magnus Wilson!"

The Bludger, which had narrowly missed James' head, zoomed away. A Slytherin who Albus supposed was Artie Kingston, began converging on him. James threw the Quaffle towards Albus, who caught it reflexively. Swallowing nervously, Albus set his eye on the goal posts, which were getting closer, and–

"Albus Potter in possession of the Quaffle – it's worth noting that he's riding a Firebolt 3000, the fastest in the line of brooms this year – oh watch out, William Bell hits a Bludger in his direction!"

Albus twisted around on his broom to look behind him, and saw that a Bludger was coming after him. He dived to evade the Bludger, and Daniel swooped over to intercept it and swung his bat ferociously, sending it back at William, who had to swerve quickly to avoid it. His dive had cost him precious seconds, however, and when he pulled up again he saw that Maxien was already coming at him. He waited until the last second, drawing Maxien and Artie towards him, before shooting Maxien a grin and throwing the Quaffle to Lara.

Lara caught it deftly, and speeding forward, she approached the goal posts, where George Holmes waited for her with a look of intense concentration. Drawing her arm back, she threw the Quaffle at the left goal hoop. George quickly flew to try to catch it, but he was too late. His fingers brushed the Quaffle as it went straight through the left hoop.

"– and GRYFFINDOR SCORES! Ten-nothing for Gryffindor from a great shot by Lara Callaghan!"

The Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws cheered loudly, covering the Slytherin's groans of disappointment.

"Now Slytherins in possession of the Quaffle, Maxien Zabini speeding down the pitch–"

Albus was right beside Maxien, trying to intercept him. He tried to lunge for the Quaffle gripped by Maxien, but Maxien swerved to the left, out of his reach.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Maxien shouted cheerfully.

"Watch me then!" Albus said, with a slight grin. He leaned forward, accelerating so that he could pull ahead of Maxien, and then spun his broom around quickly, spinning to Maxien's right side, and tearing the Quaffle out of his hands. Reversing direction quickly, he accelerated again, flying down the pitch to the Slytherin goal posts. Out of the corner of his eyes, Albus saw that Scorpius and Maxien were parallel on either side of him, racing to catch up as they were slightly behind, Artie hanging back in case Albus made a pass. Pouring on the speed, Albus approached the Slytherin goal posts and let the Quaffle fly, scoring into the right goal hoop before George even made it there.

"– and GRYFFINDOR SCORES AGAIN! Twenty-nothing for Gryffindor from a superb display of speed and skill by Albus Potter!"

Albus whooped in glee. Eli, who had been circling the pitch, passed him and gave him a high-five.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" James said ecstatically, flying over. "Your first ever goal!"

"–and Slytherins in possession of the Quaffle again – they're twenty points behind so they have to really start picking up the slack! Artie Kingston has the Quaffle – he passes to Scorpius Malfoy, and he's now speeding down the pitch in a classic Hawkshead Attacking Formation, Maxien Zabini on his left and Artie Kingston on his right!"

Albus sped up, trying to catch up to Scorpius so that he could block him if necessary.

"Hit him!" he yelled to Thomas as he passed him.

"No problem," Thomas grinned. He flew close to a circling Bludger, attracting its attention, causing it to speed toward him. When it got close enough, Thomas swung his bat at the Bludger, sending it straight toward Scorpius.

"–Thomas Cargel sends a Bludger straight at Scorpius Malfoy – oh, that's got to hurt! Hit in the back by a Bludger, but WOW! Malfoy managed to pull off a reverse pass just in time; extremely hard to do – Artie Kingston in possession of the Quaffle–"

Albus watched as Lara began checking Artie, trying to block his progress, but Artie was a bit too fast for her – Artie did a Sloth Grip Roll, flying upside down and passing her, then rolled back up and drew his arm back, ready to launch the Quaffle.

Tyson grinned, anticipating what would come next. He had Kept against Artie before – he had been in the Slytherin Quidditch team since four years ago – and could guess what he was up to. It was a trick used occasionally by Chasers, but if the Keeper could guess that the Chaser was going to attempt it, it was easy to block.

Artie threw the Quaffle forward – it looked like a straightforward shot towards the left goal hoop. He looked at Tyson expectantly, who was still hovering resolutely at the center hoop. Artie groaned in disappointment. As it shot through the air, the Quaffle began to gradually change course to the right, curving straight into the middle goal post – and into Tyson's waiting hands.

"You should really stop trying the same trick with me!" Tyson shouted with a smirk over the roar of the crowd at Artie.

Artie shrugged in a helpless kind of way. "It's the only one I've got!"

Harry reappeared at the gates of Hogwarts with another _crack_, falling to his knees as he gasped for breath. The gate was closed, but Argus Filch was standing guard on the other side, ordered there by Headmistress McGonagall just in case parents wanted to watch their children playing Quidditch.

"Let me in please," Harry panted, "Son – first Quidditch match – late–"

"If it weren't for you stragglers I wouldn't have to stand guard here," Filch said resentfully, although he refrained from saying anything insulting or mean like he did back when Harry was still at school – he was the one who rid the world of Voldemort, after all. "Don't be late next time." Filch unlocked the gates and let Harry through, but before he could take a step through the gates, three simultaneous _cracks_ signified the sound of more people Apparating in. Harry groaned. He knew who they were.

Ginny, Hermione and Ron appeared where Harry had Apparated in. They walked up to Harry, but he held up a hand. "Don't try to drag me back guys; you know how important Albus' first match is to me."

Ron shook his head. "We're not trying to stop you, mate. The Healer suggested we come with you just in case you get worse."

"Well, are you going to stand around here or keep chatting the day away?" Filch snapped.

"Hold your Hippogriffs Filch!" Ron said. "We're going, we're going!"

With that, the four of them made their way down to the pitch.

Gryffindor was in possession of the Quaffle again, Gryffindor and Slytherin both having scored a few times, bringing the score to fifty-forty. Albus was following James who was making his way down the pitch.

"James Potter in possession of the Quaffle, streaking down the pitch followed by Slytherin Chasers Scorpius Malfoy and Artie Kingston! It looks like they're almost on him! James Potter shoots, but oh! Blocked by George Holmes! Looks like Potter got desperate there and made a hasty decision!"

The Gryffindor crowd groaned as the Slytherins cheered.

"Slytherins now in possession of the Quaffle, held by Scorpius Malfoy... Albus Potter hot on his heels! Mind you, he's flying on a Firebolt 3000 and is bound to catch up, so the Slytherins will have to think of something quick before they lose possession of the Quaffle!"

William Bell desperately hit a Bludger in Albus' direction. Before it could get close to him however, Daniel and Thomas swooped in and hit the Bludger with their bats simultaneously at Scorpius Malfoy. Since the Bludger had the combined force of two Beater's bats behind it, it sped towards Scorpius much faster than usual. However, Magnus Wilson was right in its path. As he saw the Bludger, Magnus desperately rolled but was struck hard on the arm in the process, too slow to avoid it. He let out a cry of pain, grabbing his right arm. Using that as a distraction, Scorpius managed to score another goal.

"SLYTHERIN SCORES! Gryffindor's Beaters' Thomas Cargel and Daniel Garseid, in a stroke of luck and timing, have managed to perform a Dopplebeater Defence, sending one of the Bludgers straight at Scorpius Malfoy! Unfortunately Slytherin team's Beater Magnus Wilson was hit with the Bludger's full force on the arm and looks like he has a broken bone! Scorpius Malfoy's goal has brought the score to fifty-forty. Blake Parkinson has now just called a time-out, and both teams are descending to the pitch."

Albus touched down on the ground with the rest of his team, Tyson using the opportunity to talk about strategy.

"Great job out there team," Tyson said. "But Slytherin only needs one more goal for a tie, so it's our Chasers' jobs to leave them so far behind in the dust that they'll be choking on it! I'm confident that we'll win this match, so don't prove me wrong!"

"Albus!" Albus heard someone call his name. Looking towards the stands, he saw with surprise and then joy that it was his dad waving at him, with his mum, Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron on either side of him. Albus beamed, happy that his dad had made it on the day of his first Quidditch match after all.

During this time Madam Skye had escorted Magnus to the Hospital Wing and the Slytherin Quidditch team had called in their reserve Beater, something-or-other Smith; Albus couldn't remember.

Madam Skye blew the whistle again, signifying that their time-out was up, and both teams took to the air again. Madam Skye relaunched the Quaffle, and Lara spun on her broom, knocking it to James.

"And Gryffindor and Slytherin both take to the skies yet again! Slytherin team's Beater, Magnus Wilson being out of commission has been replaced by Peter Smith! James Potter in possession of the Quaffle – he passes to Albus, who dodges a Bludger and passes to Lara!"

Albus had been flying with the Quaffle when he saw a black blur from the corner of his eyes. He had swerved instinctively, the Bludger brushing past his robes. As he watched Lara, the two Slytherin team Beaters hit both Bludgers from different directions towards her. She saw them coming and tried to dodge, avoiding one but not the other, knocking the wind out of her and causing her to drop the Quaffle.

"And showing a display of cunning, the Slytherin Beaters worked together against Lara Callaghan, causing her to drop the Quaffle! Scorpius Malfoy catches – wait, the Seekers have seen the Snitch!"

Albus snapped his head up to where Eli was. They were both racing, neck-to-neck with each other, chasing the Snitch which was currently near the Gryffindor end of the pitch. Scorpius Malfoy stopped flying towards the goal posts, knowing that his team wouldn't be able to pull ahead enough to win if Eli caught the Snitch.

The Snitch suddenly dived at an almost parallel angle, and both Eli and Blake Parkinson dived to follow it. Eli leaned forward on his broom, trying to make himself more aerodynamic to compensate for the speed advantage Parkinson had as he was heavier. Gradually Eli began pulling forward, and he stretched his hand out, which was knocked aside by Parkinson, but Eli persisted in trying to reach for the Snitch. If they didn't pull out of the dive soon however, they would end up flattened on the grass of the pitch. Half a minute later, Eli's hand closed over the Snitch.

"AND GRYFFINDOR WINS! Gryffindor Seeker Eli Morzel catches the Snitch, ending the game and bringing the point total to two hundred to forty for Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor cheers were tumultuous, drowning out the groans of disappointment from the Slytherins. As they dismounted on the ground, Albus turned to Eli and gave him a half-hug.

"Great job Eli! We all knew you could do it!" Albus said, and then frowned. "...Are you crying?"

Eli shook his head with a grimace. "Bloody wind was in my eyes the whole time I was diving. It stings."

Albus laughed. "And here I thought you were overwhelmed by our win!"

Eli chuckled, and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team swarmed over to congratulate him. Albus smiled. It had been an eventful week, but in the end, he was glad how it turned out. He just hoped that Voldemort would give the world less problems this time around.

* * *

**A/N**: Hope you enjoyed, if so, review!


End file.
